What Lies Beyond Ever Grande
by Chayin
Summary: Steven Stone spent his entire life striving to meet his father's expectations, while maintaining his position as Champion and keeping his hobbies in his tact at the same time. What will happen to him when his path is crossed with a new lively trainer?
1. Chapter 1

_I've taken notice that there are clearly not enough Steven Stone Fics out there_ _... so here's my crack at one! :D_

_Written in first person and such._

_Disclaimer: not mine, blahblahblah yeah we all know. If it WAS mine, Steven would have a much more important role in the games!_

_Rated 'M' for future Chapters.  
_

THIS IS REWRITTEN! _and as far as I'm concerned, better! C: _

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**Chapter 1: Waking up like a Champ…Pokémon Champ**

_Aaah_, nothing quite like the feeling of a prehistoric, fossilized Pokémon print slamming into your forehead first thing in the morning. Who needs alarm clocks when you could have a hard, cold rock crash down on your face from the table above your head?

Being the dense person I am, I sprung up into a sitting position banging my head on the slab of wood above me. A small metal head with wide blue eyes peered at me from the top of the table, crying a short "Aron!"

I rubbed my now-throbbing head tenderly and whined, flopping back onto the cold hardwood floor.

I hated my house. It was so cramped and dysfunctional…well, okay. Maybe it wasn't _cramped_ per say…but my modest home couldn't stand its own against my pack rat tendencies… my modest little abode just wasn't able to hold all of my crap.

Any normal person would have been able to manage just fine with my home;however I was far from normal.

You see, I didn't collect just any old junk. I had 2 passions which seemed to devour my lifestyle.

One: My overwhelming collection of rare and precious rocks/gems/fossils; you name it, I had it.

Two: My passion for Pokémon training, which coincidentally landed me a seat as the Hoenn regions residing champion.

So here I sat, under my dining room table- or rather… "Makeshift bed" rubbing my throbbing skull. I picked up the dusty Cradily fossil that just assaulted my face, placing it aside from further damage. I rolled my blue eyes irritably and crawled out from under my table on all fours, sighing at the nest of scattered paperwork on my floor. I really needed to get my act together. The Hoenn Champion couldn't allow himself to be such a mess of a human-

As if that was ever going to change.

Climbing to my feet, I stretched my arms far above my head and yawned, catching a glance of the tiny metal Poké-demon sitting on my table cheerfully. The little brat was the one that smashed my face with the fossil. I bent over the table and craned my head in close to the shiny Pokémon, a grouchy scowl plastered on my face.

"Now that I'm awake, _princess_, can I help you?" my voice was full of sleep. The small Pokémon sat on its hind legs and opened its mouth wide, making a whining noise.

_Of course_. It was hungry. The little brat was _always_ hungry.

I decided not to upset the little Aron; mostly because its temper-tantrums were capable of bringing my entire house (crappy or not) to ruble. Dropped to the floor beside the pile of paperwork, I scanned the mess with stiff hands until I grasped a small metal device.

The Pokéblock case was now all that stood between my one year old Aron and his breakfast. He leapt off the table at the sight of the familiar device in my hand and opened his mouth wider, an even louder plea escaping his throat. I bit back an exasperated sigh and pulled out a few yellow Pokéblock and placed them before my companion.

Aron hungrily devoured the soft blocks, as if I never fed him, and cried happily with a nudge to my flannel-panted leg in gratitude. Yawning and stumbling over to my "bed" I began my search for a watch amidst the sea of chinese take-out containers, papers, and rocks. Grinning like the kid who found Waldo, I snatched up my watch and slowly focused in on the time. My stomach dropped at my brain clicked the numbers together.

9:05.

_I was late for work. _

I practically kicked my Aron out of the way as I scrambled to my coat closet; which conveniently stored all of my clothes. I stripped out of my t-shirt and flannel pants, grabbing my starch white dress shirt and yanking it on with more speed than a Scizor…or close enough.

I tugged on my coat, and ran my fingers through my hair quickly. Turning to the mirror I froze. I was a frazzled mess in formalwear. Without pants.

Tension was beginning to ball up in all of my muscles, my headache worsening…I needed…coffee.

Just as I was about to spring to the kitchen to brew up a pot of delicious caffeine, Aron slammed into my leg forcefully.

"Ow! What the hell! I don't have ti-" I paused when I understood the message my Aron was trying to deliver.

It was Saturday. I don't work on Saturdays.

The _princess _didn't wake me up for work. He only wanted to be fed.

At this point I was ready to go ballistic, scream my head off and bash my head open on my sloppy, hardwood table. In fact, that seemed like a pretty appeasing plan at the moment.

This was officially one the worst mornings ever; there was only one thing that could keep me from driving over the cliff of insanity.

Rock hunting.

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_Aaaaah~ that was much better!_

_it was short and sweet. a little opener before our favorite ruby-eyed beauty enters~ (in the proper REVISED chapter 2!)_

_Reviews are like candy, delicious delicious candy :3  
Candy makes a happy writer, and a happy writer makes happy characters!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_Does poor Steven's day get any better?_

_Do new and amazing characters introduce themself this chapter?_

_I guess we'll just have to read to find out *Sigh*_

**_ATTENTION: this was updated because I'm careless and left out a chapter. _**[seriously. what the hell happened.]

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**Chapter 2: The first encounter**

Pulling the heavy sledgehammer over my shoulder, I swung It against the rock wall with tremendous force, using the full impact of my body. The rock shattered immediately, small pebbles piling at my feet. I smiled contentedly and picked my flashlight up off of a nearby rock, shining it at my little Aron.

"Could you help me find some stones?" I questioned, kneeling down and patting him on the head. Aron chirped in concurrence, nuzzling against my hand. The cool metal of his body was always soothing to me. I assume that's why I like to wear my silver rings…they always felt so nice against my skin.

So we both sat beside the pile of rocks and pebbles sorting through it for anything of originality.

I held my flashlight steadily in my left hand while sifting through the debris with my right. My little Aron was the luckier of us in this situation, his capability of seeing in the dark a humongous advantage for sitting in the quaint little granite cave of Dewford city, which I liked to call home.

Dewford, sadly, was _not_ my home. In fact I lived in my crappy little apartment all the way on the other side of the region; so so far from this little paradise.

A lot of people called me crazy because of my opinion of enjoyable places. While most people would enjoy spending their time on hot sandy beaches, slathered in thick smelly tanning lotion, in over-revealing, uncomfortable martialed clothing, practically baking in the heat, the skin irritating salt water magnifying the powerful rays of the sun; while noisy Pokémon and children run around barbarically, causing even more sand to stick to your already sticky body-

I shivered at the thought.

I'd take a discreet, cool, moist, and relaxing cave over beaches any day. Especially the Slateport City beach on route 109. It is one of the worst places in the world. The trainers there are always squealing in delight to battle me there, making me work harder in the scorching heat than my body allows- and then I have to fight another lineup of damn Pokémon trainers just to get a drink at the soda pop stand! It's not humane!

Really, all it takes to satisfy me is a pick axe and some rocks and I'm good for hours, days even.

I gazed lazily at the chipped up, grey stone in my hand. It wasn't just any stone though, and I recognized it quite easily. I had come across an Everstone. Quite similar, but not as fine, or polished as the one that my precious Aron wore on a collar around its neck.

People would constantly beleaguer me as to why such a powerful trainer as myself would "restrict" my Pokémon by not letting it evolve. Though those louts have no clue what restricts a Pokémon. Most of the time narrow-minded trainers, such as themselves, are to blame for holding back their Pokémon. Either or, I loved my Aron just the way he was and in my eyes, my only true companion was perfect. He was the only one of my Pokémon that I could tolerate to be around all of the time, and it defiantly benefited our relationship.

I clutched the stone tighter in my hand and turned from the pile of rocks in front of me. Beginning to search for the small bag I brought to store my findings, I noticed a slight movement towards the entrance of my small cavern. I jumped at the slight movement and dropped both my rock and flashlight, leaving me blind in the dark. I heard my Aron make a faint inquisitive sound and he scampered to my side, nudging my thigh with his head.

"Who…Who's there?" I fumbled, trying to sound intimidating out of fear. I heard a slight gasp in response. Quiet footsteps came closer and I could see the scuffed sneakers and ankles of someone, thanks to my useless flashlight on the ground which rolled out of reach for me. I crawled backwards a little bit, having fallen in surprise. "Who's there?" I gasped, my voice obviously more nervous at this demand.

The mystery person bent down and grabbed my flashlight by their foot and shone it on me. Suddenly making me go blind thanks to the bright light. My Aron, being the wonderful little companion he was, growled defensively seeming ready to pounce on the unsuspecting traveler.

* * *

I covered by eyes automatically from the blaring sea of light and groaned, the light flicking off automatically. Then I heard his voice. It was young, I wasn't sure how young the boy was, but defiantly young. He sounded worried, almost frazzled. I was just confused why the boy disturbed me.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to…hurt your eyes. Are you okay?" The stranger asked, coming closer. I blinked the spots out of my eyes and whined, as they slowly faded from the dark surrounding me.

"Yeah…I'm just peachy." I groaned, not quite meaning to come off as a total ass, and failing miserably at it. Yet he just kept coming closer until he was beside me. I heard the sound of a Pokéballs releasing its contents and an unfamiliar cry of a Pokémon filled my ears. Then the boy made one simple command.

"Ralts, use Flash." He said silently, as a bright but comfortable light was emitted from the tiny psychic Pokémon. It was then that I realized I was practically on my back while the thin teen loomed over me.

I caught my first glimpse of those deep, excited ruby eyes staring wide at me. My heart faltered at the sight. His dark, ebony hair was askew beneath his nylon headband and white cap; pale, yet strong slender face smudged with random blotches of dirt, his loose red and black shirt that's sleeves were rolled up his lanky, defined arms; his black, tight fitted pants which were absolutely not suitable for traveling, most likely because of how strained they were against his body…I blushed vividly at the thought and refocused on the gem-like eyes.

"Are…are you Steven?" He asked quietly, his hand slipping into the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. I gnawed on my lip trying to conjure up an answer for him if he was just another one of those guppy trainers that wanted to battle me without going the whole nine yards to get there. But something about this boy… made me not care if he was just another one of them. So I was excuseless.

I nodded slowly, probably looking brain dead to the boy, but he smiled, yanking a thin envelope out of his pocket.

"Steven Stone, I am Brendan Birch from Littleroot town. Your father asked me to find you and bring you this letter." He announced, his voice seeming relieved. I eventually found the brain matter to stand up on my own two feet and take the letter from the boy. If he came from Littleroot town, that sure was a far way to travel. Plus he still looked so young. He obviously hadn't gotten the ability to fly on Pokémon yet, I would have heard about him by then, so he had to come all this way by foot. I needed some way to thank the boy.

"O-Oh….My father? You…work for my father?" Was what fell from my lips instead of a 'thank you' or something close to those pleasantries. Not only that, but I suffer from a rare, exotic, _incurable_ disease that disabled me to cease talking once I began. It was really quite pitiful. "That's odd. I haven't seen you around any of the offices. Are you new? I didn't know my father worked children…is that even legal?" I pondered. Finally realizing how stupid I must have sounded to the boy. Emphasizing my point, my mouth hung wide open in disbelief of myself.

I must have seemed like a real nut job. Not only that, but the kid started laughing; not just laughing, but _giggling_. At _my_ idiocy! That just proves it. I'm an absolute madman.

"No, I don't technically _work_ for your dad. I just passed by his building and he figured you might be here, or at least I'd come across you because I was headed this way… so he asked me to give this to you…That's all." He said with a slight chuckle. I stumbled desperately for words, while my mouth just hung wide open. And then the weirdest thing happened. It was something that rarely…or more like…NEVER happened to me.

I blushed. And it wasn't just a quick little 'oops' blush. My whole face lit up like a candle. I could hear my heart thrumming in my ears and my hands went numb. I stuffed the letter anxiously into my back pocket and scuffled further away from the odd boy, grabbing my bag carefully.

"S…So uhm…Brendan? correct? Well…thank you for bringing me this and…h…here." I snatched a TM out of my bag and held the disc out to the boy. "Please…uhm…take this as a reward!" I put on a nervous smile, and turned my head away, trying to hide the vivid red that coated my face. The boy took it cautiously in his hand and rolled his eyes.

"I don't need I reward. I knew I would get here anyway. I don't need _you_ to tell me how great I am."

My heart thrummed even harder and I stammered, though fighting for composure.

"Well…I…I never said…" I struggled only to be cut off by the seemingly arrogant boy again.

"It's cool Steve. I'll keep it." he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders and tucking it into his bag. I mentally scowled at the nickname. Steve. Never in my life had I accepted the name, but I just let it go; my mind not in the proper state to argue, in fact it was more in the state of a gelatin desert dish. I scrambled to my feet, no longer able to stand being around the boy.

It wasn't that he _did_ anything to me. This Brendan kid just made me go inane or something…I guess anyone would respond similarly if they were scared half to death in a dark cave.

I instinctually gathered all of my belongings, dashing out of the cavern with a short holler of "Well, Thanks…Bye!" as my Aron trotted close behind.

It turned out my eyes weren't the only part of me that was blinded that day.

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*groan* Yes. i'm a disorganized mess. yes, i DID just fix chapter what...2? I left out an entire chunk on accident and just realized it.  
this must have made it so awkward to follow.

I'm sorry! I don't even know how this happened... *cries in corner*  
(hopefully this might clear up any confusion that may have been there.)

D:


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh Windy Rain and Kaori Kuni, you both made my day for your lovely reviews! _

_This one goes out to you two~_

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**Chapter 3: Time To Relax...Or something like that.**

About a week after my first encounter with the overconfident trainer, Brendan, I decided to spend my next Saturday to explore the supposed cave sight at route 118, just outside of Mauville. Sadly for me, I had wasted a good eight hours of my day searching for the damn thing; and there was absolutely no sign at all of a cave. I was about desperate enough to go home so I let out my Aron, to search over the area a bit more to see if I missed anything. Squealing, the small metal Pokémon appeared before me and began digging around the route.

Lazy from the sun's heat, I stretched out on a nearby boulder. I blinked blue eyes towards the squawking Wingull overhead. They circled endlessly, in a majestic dance while perfect harmony with each other as if rehearsed. Or in my particular opinion they just flew around listlessly until their inferior minds realized that there was landing space for them. I yawned and blinked dazedly at the sun, almost dozing off. Then my lovely five minutes of relaxation was interrupted be a loud metallic squeal. Blinking the sun out of my eyes I sat upright, seeing my Aron charging away from me at a record pace. I sprung immediately to my feet, darting after the devil.

The imp ran for about five minutes before jumping off a short ledge, escaping my sight. I gathered my speed and leapt from the ledge, losing my footing as I touched the ground. My head smacked something soft, but with so much that force it felt like a brick wall was dropped on my head. I remember falling and a loud thrumming noise beneath my head… and then everything went hazy and dark.

I moved my head slightly, hearing blood swish around in my ears, and winced. There was a agonizing throbbing sensation in the back of my head. I groaned at the wavering sting. After a minute or so of soaking in the pain, I opened my eyes, surprised to see nothing but the dark night sky and twinkling silver stars. Odd, I didn't remember falling asleep outside. When the throbbing died down, I noticed a gentle orange glow beside me which was crackling and emitting a pleasant heat. I grumbled at the aching that remained embedded in my skull and struggled to get a good gist of my surroundings. It took me a few minutes, but eventually I brought myself to think clearly. I turned my head a bit, seeing a good sized fire flickering beside me. I was lying on the ground in a small dirt clearing and there was a thin black and red jacket draped over me. I became aware of the heavy weight on my feet and fidgeted uncomfortably, the weight leaving my feet almost immediately. Sitting up slightly, I realized that the previously heavy weight was actually my precious Aron. Aron ran beside my face and nudged my elbow with its head, crying out loudly. The shrill pitch just made my head throb even harder. I clamped my hand over its tiny mouth and groaned.

"Shut. Up." I growled, earning a pathetic whimper from my metal companion. I heard a gasp, that of a human, followed by a shuffling of footsteps. Before I knew it there were cold hands on my shoulder and tired red eyes staring into mine.

"You're awake? Are you ok?" The stranger yelped. I hissed and shoved him away.

"No, and your screaming in my ear isn't helping this stupid headache at all…" I grumbled. It was odd of me to treat anyone like that, but I was so irritated at the moment that frankly I didn't care. The boy moved back and plopped down sighing.

"Sorry, I was just startled I guess." My surroundings stopped spinning and I got a good look of my "savior." To my horror, it was the same boy I had recently encountered in the cave.

"YOU? What are _you_ doing here?" I spluttered. The blackette glared at me in shock and crossed his thin, bare arms.

"What am _I_ doing here? Saving your sorry ass, that's what! Who the hell do you think YOU are to talk to the guy who saved you like that!" He started fuming and I rubbed my forehead. How could this get any worse?

I forced myself to sit up and observe my surroundings. It occurred to me that this wasn't just any clearing, we were sitting in the mouth of a cave off route 118; the cave I was looking for to be precise. I glanced at the blazing fire beside me and was hit with a flood of common sense. I snatched up the boys arm and dragged him out of the cave with me, bringing along all of our supplies; Aron happily trotting behind my heels. Brendan glared at me and snatched his arm away.

"What was that for? Answer me damnit!" I dropped everything on the ground and hit the younger in the head, his hat falling to the ground.

"Are you TRYING to kill us! What the hell were you THINKING? You can't lite a fire in a cave, unless you WANT to die from Carbon Dioxide poisoning!" I seethed. The boy gasped and looked down at his feet. Try to come up with a witty remark to _that_, punk. "Do you _understand_ what I'm saying to you, brat?" He nodded lightly, still looking down. "Well, then _look at me_ when I speak to you." I demanded. I was _not _going to take any more crap from this twerp.

Then I saw it. Those ruby eyes looked up to meet my angry blue ones. Sparkling ruby eyes lined with tears. Tears that _I_ caused. I was the absolute worst.

"I was only trying to help…" The teen sniffled looking down again and rubbing his eyes. I cupped his face in my somewhat- dirty hands and lifted it up, rubbing away his tears with my sleeve. I suddenly had to fight the urge to cradle the boy in my arms until he felt better…but I knew better than that.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled…honestly. I just got scared. I really didn't mean it." I reassured him. The boy in my hands looked up at me in shock for a few moments but then blushes and shoves my hands away.

"Idiot. I wasn't crying. I got smoke from the fire in my eyes. Why the hell would I be crying?" He fumbled picking his bags up out of the dirt. I smirked at his attempt to cover up his feelings; it was actually pretty…_cute_.

I bent down and picked up the coat that was covering me while I was unconscious, realizing that the boy was only wearing a black beater and it was about 40 degrees or so out. I draped the jacket over his shoulders and he looked up at me in surprise.

"It's pretty chilly out. I think you'll be needing this." He blushed a little and pulled on the jacket quickly, digging through his bag. I plopped down on the ground next to my Aron, rubbing its head gently. "So what were you doing out here?" Brendan pulled out two Pokéballs and smirked at me.

"I'm going to be the next Pokémon Champion. I'm out here on my own training to be the strongest Trainer ever. Not like you would know anything about that, old man." He snickered and I twitched. Was this kid serious? Did he seriously have no clue that I _am_ the Pokémon champion? I thought everyone knew.

"Oh really? Do you think you have what it takes to become the champion?" I smirked a bit, scratching at Aron's chin. Brendan scoffed and released a Kirlia and Marshtomp.

"I _know_ I have what it takes. Kirlia, Flash. Marshtomp, Hydro Pump on the fire." _We'll just see about that._ I crossed my legs Indian-style as he sat down in front of me.

"I guess I can look forward to a battle from you one of these days?" He broke out in laughter and fell back on the dirt.

"As IF. I think you hit your head a little too hard during that fall." I quickly quirked an eyebrow at the pompous teen.

"Let me ask you something, do you even know anything about the Champion? You should know at least something about your opponents before you face them…" He stopped laughing at this and scratched at his black hair; which, might I add was _very_ shiny in the light emitted by his Kirlia.

"I imagine that the champion is…_very powerful_. If I don't train my Pokémon to be the absolute best he'll probably take my entire team out in one blow." He blushed and nibbled at his thumbnail a little bit. "He'll command his top-rate team with more confidence and superiority then I can even fathom…he'll be polite but forceful in his actions and not only will he be the strongest mentally and intelligently, but also physically from those long strenuous hours of intense training. The Champion is by far the most perfect trainer." I blushed slightly and saw him shiver a little. He snapped out of his daze and made a determined expression. "And that's why I'm going to train to be the very best so I can impress him and win him over for myself!" I gagged and flushed bright red. Aron looked up at me like I just sprouted two heads. Brendan raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What? You jealous old man?"

"N…No…I doubt the Champion would be interested in brats like you anyway." Brendan gasped and crossed his arms tightly across his chest.  
"And just how would _you_ know?" he huffed. I smirked and leaned in closer placing a hand on the brat's chest and pushing him back a bit.

"I just so happen to know the Champion _very well._" His bright red eyes widened huge and he leaned in close his mouth gaping, breath speeding up a little bit. The teen grabbed my forearms and tugged at them roughly.

"You HAVE TO tell me about him!" He begged. I smirked and crossed my arms sitting back triumphantly.

"No I don't."

"_Please_…I'm begging you. This is the whole reason I started being a trainer!"

"If you were really so interested then you could have at least done a little research on him…" Come on, this kid doesn't even know the Champs name; otherwise he would have gotten the clue by now. To my surprise he moved closer to me again, blush growing on his face. He bit on his knuckles lightly and sighed.

"I find the mystery _exciting_." He let out a little gasp and plopped down on his knees. My eye twitched. This kid was seriously a trip.

"He's not really that great. You'd be surprised. I doubt you'll even like him. He only has a few close friends…Nothing too special about him at all. No reason to get yourself worked up…you should just give up to spare yourself of disappointment." I sighed and brushed back my hair. The kid best at least know the truth. He gasped in shock and I felt myself being tackled to the ground. His distraught face was inches from mine and his sparkling eyes were full of hurt.

"Don't you dare say that! I know that he's an amazing person! And you're just…just…JEALOUS!" he panted. I fought down the lump in my throat that was gagging me and my heart rate spiked. The teen's breath dusted across my face like a feather.

"Brendan….I've got to go home. I have work tomorrow…" I whispered to the distressed teen. He sighed and got up, helping me to my feet. His hands were soft.

"…How does your head feel?" He mumbled helping gather my things together. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and pulled a Pokéball out of my pocket.

"Much better, if you hadn't found me…well I just don't know what would have happened to me. Thank you." I smiled genuinely and he averted my eyes waving his hand.

"You probably would have had a stroke or something, old man." I laughed. I really didn't know what to make of this kid. One minute he's going on about how he's crazy about "me" and the next he's insulting me nonstop.

"Maybe….hey do you have a place to be? It's pretty late. Is it safe for you to be out by yourself at this hour?" I asked in concern. He grinned and put his hands on his hips.

"I have to finish training and get all of my badges as soon as possible. The Champ's not going to wait for me to win him over forever you know!" My heart thumped especially hard. Releasing my trusted Skarmory from his greatball I flashed the spunky teen a grateful smile.

"Thank you again, I really do appreciate it. May our paths cross soon." I scooped up my Aron and climbed atop my Skarmory. Its metallic feathers were absolutely freezing against my thighs. Before I knew it we were far above Brendan, and Route 118, and Hoenn.

* * *

_Still debating on possible future lemons ._. i'll save that problem for another day.  
_

_For now- Reviewers! I have a challange for you!  
_

_If you had to be any Pokemon what would you be and why? :D_


	4. Chapter 4

You guys...those reviews...They were beautiful. I love all of you. *tears*

In fact, they were my encouragement for this chapter...this messy...delicious chapter.

Oh, by the way. As a reward for my taking-forever-to-update-because-i'm-super-busy-ness -

Here's where the 'M' Rating will start to kick in! ;D

As for the Pokemon to be...I would probably be something kick-ass like...Rayquaza or Arceus so I could just obliterate anything in my path :3

Now presenting chapter 4 of this hot mess of a story!

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**Chapter 4: Dad**

I silently watched ruby eyes slip closed as the lovely face leaned close to mine. Petal soft lips caressed mine as a moist tongue prodded my own. My hands developed minds of their own as my rough callouses massaged slender hips. A wanton moan escaped my lips as thin fingers tugged at my silver locks.

Ruby eyes slowly opened again as our lips parted. Small hands found their way to my midriff and rubbed small circles there. Goosebumps began to rise on every square inch of my skin. Warm breath dusted across my neck as his sultry whisper met my ears.

"Steven…do you need assistance with your _problem_?" he emphasized his words with a brief nudge to my crotch. A pleading whine escaped my throat, a noise I thought incapable of making, as I nuzzled my face in that beautiful ivory hair. It smelled like peaches. Soft lips kissed my neck gently as I felt them curve into a mischievous grin. "I'll take that as a yes."

The lips parted against my skin as that soft hand trailed it's way lower…lower…even lower. They were so close I could barely stand it. I closed my eyes and groaned imploringly.

And then he bit my arm. Hard.

So hard that I couldn't hold back a scream. I snapped my eyes open to find my precious metal companion attached to my arm, rather than a ruby-eyed beauty. My cell phone was buzzing wildly on the table above me, and a well-constructed tent was pitched under my blanket. I quickly shoved aside my humiliation and grabbed for my phone with deft fingers. When I read the faint glow on the LCD screen I groaned. And not the kind of "I just stubbed my toe on a step" kind of groan. More like the "Oh my god I just fell down 6 flights of stairs with a broken spine, and proceeded to roll into a pile of Cacturn" kind of groan.

It was my father.

It's not that I have any particular dislike for my father…well yes I do; but that's not the point. He's a charming guy, with boatloads of energy- which was admirable to say the least- but he only called me when he had a "favor" to ask of me. Not only that, but my father's requests were not the easiest to fulfill; not by a long shot. Many times he would ask me to do the dirt jobs that he couldn't even pay his corporate lackeys to do. Such as find some extremely rare piece of metal that was wedged behind a waterfall at the top of the highest peak in all of Hoenn…yeah that seemed to fit the criteria.

Needless to say, dealing with my happy-go-lucky father's whimsical requests was the LAST thing I wanted to deal with in my current state.

Reluctantly holding the phone to my ear I piled my blankets in my lap, attempting to get _that _problem out of my mind. Out of sight out of mind, right?

"Good….morning dad." Fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Steven! My boy! How are you? Really that's great! How's about you take a trip for me today? I have a brand new invention I think this young, spunky trainer will find mighty useful! I was hoping you could deliver it for me to…er…Fortress…no…Treefrog- no that's not right either…" I tried to process the jumble of words for a moment and understood.

"_Fortree_?" that was most likely it. My father was about as good with geography as Magikarp is at fighting against Wattson's Pokémon.

"Yes! That's the name! Anyway, it wouldn't be too much of a bother for you to go drop off this Devon Scope at route 120, would it?"

_Actually father, yes it WOULD be a bother. A huge bother, No. I do not want to run you're stupid errands for you. Get somebody else to do it for once._  
"No problem at all dad." I was such a wimp.

"Really! Wonderful! I'll be expecting you in say…half an hour? I knew I could count on you! See you then, son!"

Dialtone.

I chewed at my lip for a moment, head still groggy, trying to understand the predicament I had just wriggled myself into. If only I had a spine when it came to handling my father.

My attention-whore of an Aron gladly called my attention to another more _prominent_ issue by jumping into my lap, hoping for some award for allocating himself the role of my alarm clock. I gave him no such reward. Instead I uncomfortably shoved him aside and peeled the sticky sheets from my lap, making my way to the bathroom quite uncomfortably.

* * *

I don't know why the thought of the pubescent insipid youth made me react this way. I wasn't exactly your "normal" man. Or teenager. Or child for that matter. I spent almost my whole life in caves searching for precious gems, rocks, fossils and dazzling metals. It was a dream come true. All the while raising my team of Pokémon to the elite standards and accomplishing any task I put before myself. I was a prodigy child, playing several instruments; from the cello, to the piano and one futile attempt at the saxophone. I was the top in my class, excelling in every subject- even P.E. I was everything you could ask for in a son.

I didn't do drugs. I didn't drink. I didn't have sex, or 'fool around' or go to parties, or date. Hell. I was reaching a ground-breaking 23 years old and I still haven't even had my first kiss. So here I am, this abnormal excuse for a man- who has never even had a crush!- with this rush of attraction to _who_? Some bratty little teenager with an inflated ego, and an outrageous imagination.

This is what all of those years of seclusion gets me. Why didn't my parents stop me from allowing myself to become such a social abnormality? Shouldn't you be concerned about your child playing alone in caves with rocks all day?

Pfft. Naaah. "Here's your flashlight sweetie, make sure you don't get eaten by the angry Hariyama! And be home by dinner!" That's what all _good_ parents did, right?

So many thoughts of confusion and blame trickled through my mind. It was all a hopeless attempt to get _that face_ out of my mind. No matter what I tried, that youthful expression waltzed casually into my imagination- adding more irritation to my straining member. I sighed in exasperation and watched as bubbly trails of soap raced down my stomach and thighs, slowly making their way to the drain and beyond.

3 shampooings, 2 conditionings and countless body rinses later, I was in the same situation, length throbbing even _harder_, and feeling ever so lightheaded. I tried so hard to make the throb go away, but held on to one thread of decency as I struggled to make my _problem_ fade away. I would _not_ pleasure myself to the thought of that boy.

The water was cold now. Goosebumps rose as far as the eye could see, but my arousal was persistent. I was aching for some sort of release, my will slipping from me. _I would not pleasure myself to him._

I pressed my cheek against the cold shower tile and whimpered. _That face_ invaded my imagination again, I still had such a vivid memory of his expressions from the other night. The excitement and thrill in his eyes when he spoke of meeting the champion.

A soft scoff slipped past my lips. Breath heavy and shaking. I had to fight from my teeth shattering.

The way his eyes slipped closed when he dreamt up capricious expectations for his "dreamy champion"

A groan. _I would not…_

I could practically _feel_ those warm, tiny fingers pressing into my biceps once again.

A squeeze. Breathing becoming erratic.

Those lithe arms around my body. Pale lips pressed into the crook of my neck, whispering, wanting.

It was almost as if the soft grunts escaping my throat were coming from someone else. My hand warming with friction as it jerked unsteadily.

I could _hear_ his heavy pants as he loomed over me, Ruby eyes burning holes right through my corneas.

_Faster._

I could taste his name on my lips as tension shook my frame. Moaning in a way I hadn't known capable as my body jolted at its need. I could see the shudders shaking that lithe frame as I whimpered, coming to full release in my hand.

_His hand._

Struggling to catch my breath, I pressed my forehead against the tile. I let the cold water soak me further until I couldn't tolerate it any longer. Waving around weakly for a soft bath towel, I blotted myself dry and wrapped it around my waist. Shivering.

I had no control over my carnal needs. I had _never_ given into my lust before.

I had finally sunken to the depths of an entirely new low.

* * *

YAY! Thank goodness that's over! I'll try to update sometime this year...or something :D

And thank you so much for patiently (Or not?) waiting for this chapter. I hope it met your expectations...if not, i'm sorry ;A;

so how's everyone enjoying pokemon black/white? I'm loving it...slowly loving it...not getting far at all...more distractions from writing...

Favorite Pokemon City anyone?

Mine's Opelucid (for black version) It's so neony and glowy 3


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello there, It's Chayin again with another chapter C:_  
_Thank you very much to every wonderful person out there who gave me a review or favorite or whatever- even if you just read this nonsense!_  
_I'll try to continue updating around my utterly insane schedule because I really want to get this fic out of my head._  
_So that's about all I have to say here, and enjoy~~~_

* * *

**Chapter 5: How do you forget the unforgettable?**

_I don't even know what this IS_. It was bad enough my dad caught me at the worst time _possible_ to run his irrational errands, but honestly- I have no clue what the flying-Fearow he gave me.

I wound up stumbling into my dad's office, his corporate lap Poochyena's obediently fussing over me, and having this _thing_ shoved at me. My dad was all Gung-ho to have me drop this contraption off to some trainer in east jahabafuck. Apparently the trainer was moving very quickly through the gyms and I would "Meet him anyway, so you best size up you're competition while you can. You're not getting any younger and as it appears, you seem to be letting yourself go a bit- it would be a pity if you were letting your team slack off as well…you wouldn't want to wind up like that Slacking of a trainer Norman after all! Whom by the way was just demolished by the young trainer you'll be delivering this to!" Aren't family visits the best? Love you too dad.  
After dealing with my motor-mouth of a father I flew to Fortree City to search around Route 120 to meet up with this so called "prodigy trainer" and give him this hunk of trash from my father.

Searching for this promising talent seemed useless and I was tired from a restless night of sleep…thanks to that _boy_; the enthralling boy that cavorted into my dreams last night and set me up a nice tent to go camping this morning. The gorgeous boy who makes my throat dry with one glance of those garnet eyes. That wonderful boy that has a crush on _me _of all people; and he doesn't even know it. I shivered and shoved away the images of _him_ to assure I wouldn't have any other…problems.  
All that I had to do before I could go find some distraction from any thought of _him _was to wait. Sit and wait. In route 120. On a bridge…_Well this sucks_. I plopped myself down on the edge of the wooden bridge and stared at the calm blue water below me. There were a few Marill floating and playing along the surface, but not much else. I fiddled with the object in my hands for a few moments to possibly find out what to make of this contraption. Once I held the lens part of the machine up to my eyes, a wild Kecleon appeared beside me on the bridge. I certainly wasn't expecting that. I decided it was best to ignore the Kecleon and pretend I never saw it to begin with; which seemed to work because the Pokémon went back to being camouflaged.

I was so caught up in this whole Kecleon-Devon Scope business that I didn't even notice that it started to rain. I've never been much of a fan of water, but I had to suck it up and deliver this dumb Devon Scope to the trainer. So I sat there as it started to rain harder and harder, left alone to my thoughts and distractions.

Maybe it was a good thing after all that there was a trainer blowing through the gyms…things were pretty slow at the Pokémon league after all. In fact, I couldn't quite recall the last time _I've_ had a challenger. I mean sure, plenty of people make it to the league, but they're normally defeated somewhere after Phoebe. Being the last challenger in the lineup was rather dreary. I still had to show up at work and wait for challengers and do paperwork, but I hadn't had any particularly challenging trainers to face lately. Who knows, maybe this one would be someone worth practicing for.

The rain started to come down even harder, making it almost impossible to see the clear blue lake below me.

Maybe dad was right to be concerned about my team…I haven't been working with them too much lately. There have just been too many distractions…

_Ruby eyed distractions_

I tried fumbling with the Devon Scope for a few moments when there was some rustling in the tall grass. I couldn't hold back a sigh of disinterest, expecting a wild Absol or Mightyena to come charging out at me. To my surprise a trainer came fumbling out of the grass instead, well not even so much as fumbling; more like falling face first out of the brush into a puddle of mud, courtesy of the now-pounding rain. My initial instinct was to get up and help the trainer, so I followed my gut and went to help the muddy-wet person.

When I reached the red and black lump in the mud, the poor thing was shaking like an Oddish in the wind. I knelt down and placed a hand on the quaking shoulder when I caught a glimpse of a familiar white cap in the mud.

"Brendan?" the name slipped past my lips before I even realized what had happened. The wet boy pulled himself up out of the puddle and brought his knees to his chest, looking down at his muddy shoes with those beautiful eyes. "Brendan, what's wrong? Are you ok?" It was hesitant, but I'm pretty sure he nodded his head in response. Then those bright eyes looked up at me, they were spilling over with tears. My heart shattered.

"My whole team is hurt…I…I don't have any potions or revives…and the Pokémon Center and Mart are closed because of the storm…and I can't get in the gym…I…I don't know what to do…" he whimpered a bit, holding out six little Pokéballs to me. 5 out of 6 of his team had fainted and one was in critical condition. I couldn't hold myself back any longer.

In a matter of seconds I found myself wrapped around Brendans thin body, face nestled in the crook of his neck and holding him close. To my complete shock the boy actually hugged me back, squeezing at my ribcage lightly. It was a mixture of heaven and torture to hold him in my arms, this boy that has been haunting my thoughts and dreams day and night. It felt better to hold him than I could have ever dreamed.

But I had to remember why he was here and why we were hugging. It was not because he consciously had feelings for me. His shivering and whimpering brought me back to the reality of the pelting rain and his injured Pokémon. Using all of my willpower I pulled away from the embrace.

"Come with me, we need to get out of the rain." A small nod from the wet boy urged me to think clearly.

I released my Skarmory and helped Brendan onto the steel bird, he moved with the gracefulness of a Ditto. Once I straddled the bird and situated the quaking boy behind me, my Skarmory flew us below the bridge to a small cave in the center of the pond.

Now sheltered from the rain in the small cave the teen situated himself on the cold clay flooring. Fortunately he was no longer crying, but his eyes remained puffy and glassy. I withdrew my Pokemon and knelt in front of Brendan. He was still covered head-to-toe in mud and was slouched over, clutching his dirtied hat. It was truly a pitiful sight.

"t…thank you…" I couldn't believe the whisper that came out of the boy. Where did all of his boldness go? Was this even the same kid?  
"Of course, you couldn't expect me to leave you out there to catch a cold right?" He nodded a little, maybe he would cheer up a bit…if I could help somehow.

"Hey Steven…why were you out in the rain to begin with?" he whispered almost shyly. I almost completely forgot. I pulled the Devon Scope out of my coat pocket.

"My father wanted me to deliver this to a strong trainer that was blowing through the Gyms…that's you isn't it?" I smiled a little when I realized how hard he'd been working. He laughed out of what I thought was desperation.

"I'm really not that strong…I don't think I can last much longer like this…" I placed the Devon Scope beside him and knelt in front of him.

"That's not what I've heard. I've been told you are quite the powerful trainer. I know you'll be just fine!"

My poor attempt to cheer was a complete failure; Brendan just sniffled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. "Why are you acting so defeated?" Thin eyebrows crinkled, _cutely might I add,_ and shiny eyes glanced up at me.  
"I let my team down. How could I expect them to work with me till the end if I let this happen to them? There's nothing I can do for them…" Gorgeous eyes watered again. I lifted the boys chin and began wiping the mud off of his soft face with my sleeve.

"Come on now, they're your teammates. They're not going to quit out on you anytime soon. Pokémon are the most loyal companions you'll ever know. Besides you've worked too hard to get where you are now to give up so suddenly." Those gem-like eyes locked on my face I could _feel_ them gazing over my skin. _Goosebumps._

"But I'm not getting strong enough! I'm not raising my team to their capability…and I'll never make it to the Champion." _You idiot. He's right in front of you wiping the dirt off of your pretty face._ I felt almost jealous of his determination for "the champion." _Why wasn't I good enough? _

"Why are you doing all of this just to meet him? You don't even know this guy…what makes you think he's so great? It's just not worth all of this, is it?" he grabbed my wrist to stop me from cleaning and looked out at the rain then back up at me. The look in his eyes would haunt me for months to come.

"Have you ever had that feeling deep down in your soul when you just _know_ that something just…is. It's a feeling almost similar to knowing that the sun will rise every day. Although for this feeling there is no physical proof or logic or any reasoning behind it, but every cell in your body is just _screaming_ that things will be one way…it's an intuition…I just _know_ that the Champion will be everything I dreamed of. And more"

" …but what if he's not?" A smile finally broke out on his beautiful face.

"I know I'll love him regardless of whoever he is. That's why I set out with no knowledge of him to begin with."

_Just love me_…

Then some sort of unstoppable gravitational pull grabbed me by the mouth and forced me right onto his petal soft lips. I couldn't fight it, it just dragged me there. I had no idea what to do from there, but it felt incredible. Soon my hands found their way into his soaked, black hair and looped themselves among the strands. Everything about him was so soft, so inviting. It seemed like a good idea to be a bit more daring, so I applied some pressure to his lips asking silent permission to continue. _I'd never done anything like this in my life_. Every inch of my skin broke out in tingles when Brendan pressed back against my lips and curled his arms around my neck, pulling me deeper. I gasped against his mouth and ran my hands to the back of his neck, petting softly there and kissing lightly at his lower lip. I opened my eyes slightly when a quiet sound of approval slipped out of Brendan's lips.

And then I remembered this wasn't a dream.

This wasn't a dream, and this _wasn't ok._ He didn't love _me_. He loved "The Champion" who he didn't know was me. He was a kid and I was an adult- _a reckless adult. _

I pulled away from him and jerked my hands away, but my entire body still ached for him, the face I was making must have terrified him.

"Did I…do something wrong?" Worried ruby eyes stared at me in confusion. I could see the hurt of rejection in his face. _I just wanted to kiss away his worries and take him back into my arms._

"No…no no, not that…it's just…that was a mistake…I shouldn't have…" so many thoughts and feelings were rushing through me at the moment I didn't know which to express. I could barely put a sentence together. Brendan reached out for my arm, but I instinctively jerked away. _I yearned for him so hold me so badly._

"Steven I-"

"Look, this was all just a mistake…I need to leave now." released my Skarmory as fast as I could with my trembling fingers. I couldn't bear to look at him as I prepared to fly off. I knew that if I saw tears in those stunning eyes again I would never be able to leave.

"I'm so sorry Brendan. Be safe." I could hear him try to say something to me as my Skarmory flew out of the cave and into the pelting rain. I needed to go home and sleep this encounter off.

If only I could sleep away all my problems; maybe I would have never met Brendan…maybe I would forget all of this ever happened…maybe when I woke he would decide he loved me instead…but that was all nonsense.

I couldn't help but play out the events in that cave over and over again as I flew above Hoenn on my Skarmory.

_I just gave my first kiss away to Brendan Birch…and he doesn't even like me._

* * *

_That's all for this time, I already have the rough draft for the next chapter typed up so lots of reviews will encourage me to revise and write more! :D_  
_I'll introduce a new and wonderful Character in the next chapter (Not an OC, an actual Pokemon character...) who is one of my favorites, all while trying to catch 'em all. Literally. I'm going to catch them all._

_See you next time~_


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey there again, I finally got through with this chapter with the help of Perpetual Dreams :D  
__Its not quite part of the game plotline, but who knows?  
__Anyway-hope you enjoy it? _

* * *

**Chapter 6: What are best friends for?**

I really should have gone home. But I didn't. Instead I found myself flying to Sootopolis City, rather than Mossdeep; where I _should_ have gone. Most people would have called it crazy, even I thought I was going crazy; but there was one thing that I absolutely, desperately, positively, _needed_ there that I couldn't get anywhere else.

My loyal Skarmory landed beside a small adobe house that looked similar to all of the other surrounding homes. I withdrew the bird silently and peered in the windows of the house; to my disappointment no one seemed to be awake. I looked out at the clear pool of water in the middle of the town. The moon and stars glistened so clearly off of the still water. It was beautiful. Even the bothersome Wingull and Magikarp that are constantly bustling about the waters had fallen silent.

I really couldn't recall why I hadn't come here more often.

In a matter of moments I found a lump returning to my throat as a flood of recollection bum-rushed my brain. Tears were stinging the corners of my eyes and my legs were getting shaky. There was no way I would let anyone see me this way so I began pounding away on the white wooden door and ringing the doorbell hysterically. I saw a flicker of light in the house. Oh thank Arceus.

The door cracked open an inch or so, still connected by the chain and the front light flicked on. I rubbed my eyes to make the combination of the salty air, tears, and my constricting pupils less painful on my poor sockets. The door was soon fully unlocked and it swung open dramatically, revealing my best friend in the whole wide world standing there with a dumbstruck look on his face. Dumb faces really weren't befitting of the man.

It was quite obvious that he had just rolled out of bed, still in matching white silk pajamas, fluffy Spheal-shaped slippers on his feet, and two little hair curlers neatly pinned to either side of his teal-tinted head. I flung my arms around his neck wailing into the poor man's shoulder.

"Wallace! I…I didn't know what to do…or where to go…I just…just…" I hiccupped as he rubbed my messy hair, "shh"ing gently.

"Calm down Steven…it's ok. Let's get you inside before you wake up all of the neighbors, hmm?" I sniffled and nodded, dragging myself into his immaculate home and slipped off my shoes next to the door. Wallace took my coat off for me and hung it on the coat tree. His tired blue eyes looked up at me and closed for a minute and he sighed.

"You pitiful thing. Come into the kitchen. I'll brew up some tea." I rubbed my eyes with my palms, following into his perfectly organized kitchen. He pulled out a chair for me at the table which I happily plopped down in. He handed me a box of tissues and wiped some dirt smudges off of my face then brushing my hair into place as if I were a little kid. "Tell me all about it." The pretty man smiled a little bit before turning away to fill up a teapot with water to place on the stove.

"Thank you so much Wallace…I'm really sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, even though you really don't need it." I grinned as a blush overtook his pale features. "It's just…I didn't know where else to go." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"Of course sweetie. You know you're always welcome here. Now what's eating at you?" He looked at me sincerely. I groaned as I ran the past month or so of events through my mind and rubbed my forehead in agitation. My chest hurt, but I had no idea why.

"See…there's this person that I keep running into by some freak kind of fate…and every time we run into each other I just lose it. I can't control myself. And I start feeling kind of sick. My stomach starts doing flips and I do all sorts of stupid stuff. I get really light-headed and my chest hurts. The other day I found out that they are totally crazy for the 'Pokémon champion' but they don't have any clue that I _am_ the Pokémon champion. And I think they really don't like me. The kid's a total brat to me-_can't stand me_. And once they find out that I'm the Pokémon champ…well…I just don't know what'll happen…and today I saw him again and he was really upset because he wasn't doing too well and it was raining so I helped him out and did something really stupid and I-" I choked back a lump in my throat and rubbed the tears out of my eyes. Wallace knelt down I front of my chair and rubbed my cheek with his soft hand. My hair was still wet from the rain earlier, so he pushed it back out of my face again.

"Honey…it sounds like _you're_ in _love_." He smiled at me with a wink. I whined desperately and leaned back in my chair.

"Is that what this is?" He nodded cheerfully, pulling me into a hug.

"Sweetie, I'm so happy for you! I never thought you would ever have emotions for anything other than a shiny rock. You better not let this one slip away." My lip quivered and I hugged him tightly.

"But Wallace, he doesn't even like me! And I think I ruined everything today…" I sobbed. Wallace grabbed the sides of my head and stared me firmly in the eye, a look of determination on his petite face.

"Steven Stone, you listen to me, because I'm only going to say this once. You're going to show that person that you're everything they thought you were-and more! You're one hell of a person, and a trainer; and you're going to make that special person fall so hard for you that they won't know what hit them." I blinked in surprise, tears now gone from my eyes. Wallace really meant serious business. He got up to take the screeching teapot off of the stove and poured the hot water into two china cups, placing some teabags in the water to seep. He sat down at the table with me and placed a cup in my spot, crossing his legs daintily.

"So Steven…time to spill. Who's the lucky person?" He smirked like a Glameow as he fiddled with the teabag string.

"Brendan Birch." I said bluntly, playing with the spoon in my teacup. Wallace gagged.

"Like…Professor Birch's son? What are you _thinking_? Your boss's son? He'll have your hide! What did you _do_ earlier that 'messed things up'?" His words scared me. I hadn't even thought that far, but he was right. It was a pretty awful situation. Why couldn't relationships be as simple as rocks? Or Pokémon battles? I'm good with those things…but these are completely uncharted waters in the land of Steven. What will my boss do if his son runs and tells him he was molested by the Pokémon champion?

"So…this is a bad thing after all? What am I going to do?" I sighed in defeat. I probably should just stick with the things I'm good at anyway. Brendan probably would hate me or laugh at me when he found out that _I_ was his beloved Pokémon champion. Wallace was staring at me sternly.

"Absolutely not. It's very serious that you've finally developed these emotions towards someone. And it's _very_ important that you make some sort of action on these feelings, otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You just need to know that you'll be getting yourself into a sticky situation and it's not going to be easy. But what did you do earlier? It wasn't _bad_, like _really bad_ was it?" I never see Wallace this serious. How could I possibly tell him about how I let my emotions take over me and steal those poor boy's lips? Wallace _knew_ I'd never kissed anyone before; he teased me about it on several occasions. How would he react to me giving my very first kiss away to a snappy little teenager? Should I tell him about the _dreams_ I've been having about him? Are they normal or am I just a creepy pedophile?

I stirred in my seat uncomfortably for a moment placing my elbows on the table and burying my face in my palms. I felt a thin hand rub my damp shoulder.

"You do know that you can tell me anything in confidence Steven." Wallace assured gently. I knew from experience that Wallace was a wonderful man and I knew if I could go to anyone about this it would be him.

"Have you ever met Brendan?" I started, hoping that I would have a little bit less to explain. Unfortunately the shake of his head told me otherwise. "Well, he's tall and lean. And he has really soft black hair and a funny hat that he always wears over it. But most importantly he has these unbelievable crimson eyes that just kind of capture you—like a pokeball…"

I blushed for a moment and pulled the teabag out of my tea, dropping in 3 lumps of sugar and taking a sip. It was really soothing. Wallace took a big sip of his tea as well and leaned back in his chair, gesturing for me to continue.

"Well it started out with images of those eyes popping up everywhere. I couldn't stop seeing them. They're so beautiful."

"And then?" I flushed red and took a sip of my tea.

"And then I started getting these dreams…they started out really innocent the first few. You know hugging and kissing…but recently…" I couldn't say anything else. My embarrassment spoke for itself and Wallace's blue eyes widened in understanding. I hid my face behind hands hoping that maybe for once Arceus would be ever so kind and make me disappear. But he was cruel.

"Steven, I understand. I hope you realize that's completely normal." Wallace assured again rubbing my shoulder gently. I peered out from behind my hands relieved to see his face devoid of any judgment or disgust.

"Really?" he smiled softly and sipped his tea.

"Absolutely normal. And it's not like you can control it anyway." A slightly relieved sigh escaped my lips.

"And on top of all that today I kind of well…I messed everything up…" Wallace's face twisted in confusion and he leaned towards me.

"What exactly did you _do_?" all the blood in my body suddenly decided to rush to my face and turn me red as a Pomeg berry. I nervously rubbed my face and moaned desperately. I told him in a quiet whisper that I kissed him.

"Pardon?" I pressed my hands against my face and told him again, this time mumbled.

"Steven, I can't understand you at all, just tell me already." Wallace seemed slightly irritated and tired at this point.

"I kissed him! There, are you happy? I just couldn't gather the willpower to stop myself at the time; and now look at me! I ruined everything! He'll never talk to me again and I gave away my first kiss! Worse than that, he'll run home and tell his family or the cops and I'll be fired or arrested. Do you have any idea what would happen to a man like me in jail? Bad things." Wallace stopped me abruptly with a hand over my mouth.

"Honey, you need to calm down. Kisses are special. They are a sign of loving affection, and you wanted to show him some compassion. Plus you have feelings for him, how could you not at the time? Quite frankly Steven, that probably wasn't his first kiss anyway- and he even likes guys. Don't be too sure that the kid doesn't understand your intentions." I gasped from behind his palm.

"But what if-" I was silenced this time by some scolding 'aat aat's

"Pumpkin, drink your chamomile and relax. Even if it's not what you wanted there's nothing that you can do about it now but move forward. You'll both be fine, just get yourself together for now." Wallace stared at me firmly to make sure he got the message across. I sipped my warm tea and nodded in agreement. He was right, I could only move on from here and see how he handled things. Wallace smiled warmly at me and finished off his tea, leaning back in his chair.

"That's enough serious talk for one night though. I'm absolutely giga-drained. So once you finish your tea sweetie, go take a shower and I'll help get you settled in the living room; you can borrow a pair of clean clothes. I don't want you flying home so late at night; it would be dangerous." He smiled kindly and kissed my forehead as he stood up to wash his dishes. This man treated me with more sincerity and care than my own mother.

No wonder he was my best friend.

* * *

_So the next chapter is going to be dramatic...like...REALLY DRAMATIC_  
_...when I get around to writing it :3_  
_If you enjoyed the story thus far- REVIEW AND ENCOURAGE ME TO WRITE. no seriously I'm so lazy.  
Thank you soo super duper much for all of those who reviewed so far- I love you all *mwah*  
See ya later __Feraligatrs!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Ok, I'm back. I'll try to keep updating more frequently so long as I have feedback to encourage me C:  
This chapter...is crazy. Honestly, I don't know where it came from-  
But I must admit I'm rather pleased with the outcome_

I thank all of you to the deepest cells of my heart for you're lovely reviews. I would bake you all cookies if I could.  
SO WITHOUT FURTHER INTERRUPTION- CHAPTER 7 :D 

* * *

**Chapter 7: Prepare for Trouble...or something like that  
**

I don't recall ever sleeping at Wallace's and having such a _pleasant_ dream- which was so abruptly torn away from me by the gentle shaking of my arm. Soft hands were rubbing my shoulders and shaking me lightly, painfully dragging me away from my lovely dream; which starred a certain beautiful ruby-eyed teen.

A dream that involved endless cuddling and kisses, it was so wonderful- but all good things come to an end.

I groaned mournfully and cracked open an eye to find a distressed look on my best friends pretty face. I could tell just by looking that something was bothering him terribly. The man was terrified of future frown lines, when he did frown- something horrible must have caused it.

Using all of my willpower I forced my eyes open and yawned loudly, propping myself up on my hands. Wallace sat back on his knees and watched me intently, cerulean eyes waiting.

I flopped my head against his plush sofa and whined.

"Ok, what is it Wallace?" I grumbled wearily. Wallace let out a distressed sigh and ran his fingers through his neatly-styled teal hair.

"We've got problems Steven. Big problems. And you're needed in Mossdeep. _Now._" He stressed the last word giving me a serious glance. I scratched at my chin and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What could be so urgent that I have to-"

"Team Magma infiltrated the Space Center."  
Oh Team Magma was just in- wait, what? Team Magma? The horrible Pokémon abusing team of villains that were never up to doing any good…all while expressing their devout hatred to water…

"Well…This could be potentially horrendous…what are they doing exactly?"  
"As far as I know they've taken the scientists hostage and are demanding…something. Tate wasn't

very clear as to what. Maxie's too strong for just anyone to defeat him. Mossdeep needs you Steven." I thought for a moment of the possible danger that my quaint hometown was in.  
"You're right. I'll get there as soon as possible."

Wallace nodded in agreement lifting up a dress-shirt and slacks for me to change into. I always kept spare outfits at Wallace's house; needless to say my spontaneous appearances at his home in the middle of the night were far from uncommon.

_Was that normal? No, no. There's no time for useless babble. Focus Steven, immediate danger. _

As soon as I clad myself in the clean clothes Wallace grabbed my arm brusquely and began dragging me to the door.  
"You need to leave. I'll have my Pokégear with me, so call me to let me know that you're ok!" I reached the door and quickly crammed my feet into my shoes, still dirty from the night prior. Before I grabbed the handle Wallace squeezed me in a tight hug, burying his face in my back.

"Steven…be careful. You don't know how many people they have up there. Or what kind of Pokémon they have with them…" I turned around and squeezed him back.

"I will Wallace. I promise." He nodded quickly and placed a soft platonic kiss on my forehead and saw me off.

At the time, if I had known what I would find awaiting me I would have left _much_ quicker.

Everything looked normal in Mossdeep upon my arrival, excluding for the fact that there was no one to be seen outside of the safety of their homes. That was my fine indicator that all was _not_ well in my cozy island home.  
Though the town was small and quiet, people were always out and about the streets running errands. It was almost eerie to see the streets so lifeless.  
Before I head-butted my way into the Space Center, I had the common sense to check my team lest I find myself in a dangerous situation.  
I found my Skarmory, Aggron and Metagross at my fingertips. _Perfect_. That was all of the motivation I needed to charge into the building like a mad-man.

To my complete shock, I found the scientists tying up a group of disgruntled-looking Team Magma members. The scientists seemed shocked to see me as well.  
"What…what's going on here?" Things seemed to be under control, why was I needed so badly? Wasn't this some sort of hostage situation?  
One of the scientists sent me a worried glance.  
"There's a young trainer upstairs battling Tabitha and Maxie…He wasn't doing well at all...I mean he cleared past these grunts but…Maxie can't escape this time…" I felt my heart falter for a minute. Young trainer…there is no way it could be him…

"That brat is going to get crushed by the boss, nobody can beat him!" One of the grunts barked.  
That was my breaking point.  
My feet took off before I realized it, and I was sprinting up the staircase at Mach speed.  
_Oh dear Arceus please let the trainer be safe_.

The image of the boy of my dreams up against that horrible man was terrifying.  
The staircase seemed to get longer and longer with each step passed.

_Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him.  
_

If there was one thing I knew from past experience with Maxie, it was that he played dirty. He would hurt whatever or whoever he had to just to get what he wanted. If and inexperienced trainer like him were to take on Maxie…he would undoubtedly take advantage of the boy.

_Please let him be safe…please let him be safe.  
_  
As I finally reached the second floor although panting and out of breath. Time seemed to freeze.

From a distance I could see Maxie and Tabitha thoroughly _crushing_the frail little coal-haired teen of my dreams. The battle looked bleak and Maxie seemed thoroughly amused.

Time snapped back to speed, leaving my heart aching at the sight I took in.

I paid little attention to the horror-stricken expression on Maxie's face as I sprinted to the weak boy.  
I shuddered when wide garnet eyes shot up to meet mine. His face was bruised, eyes bloodshot and nose dripping a small amount of blood. He looked to be in horrible condition.

"Steven? What are you doing here?" Brendan wobbled a bit and grabbed my arm to steady himself. I looked out at the beaten Swampert that was stumbling against a powerful Camerupt. I gasped and placed my hand over Brendan's small one.

"Brendan…you need to let me take over…" He pulled his hand quickly away and looked at me defiantly.  
"We're not weak. We can still stand strong against this lowlife! You reminded me that my team will never give up on me- how could I give up on them at a time like this?" Brendan started shouting orders at his Swampert again trying his best to take out Maxie's Camerupt. I could see him growing weaker with each hit to his Pokémon.  
_Why couldn't he just put aside his damn pride and let me save him?_  
"Brendan, please stop. This isn't going to prove anything." I tried to convince him to stop fighting before he blacked out. He had no hope of winning this battle. The boy pushed me to the side and ordered his Swampert to body slam the Camerupt; who avoided the attack…things were looking grim. I gaped at Maxie as he commanded his Camerupt to use earthquake; how this monster could destroy this beautiful teen like that…I'll never understand. The attacks his team used not only injured his opponent's Pokémon, but his opponents as well.  
It was his fault that precious Brendan was in such horrible shape.  
I knew what was coming when I saw the large ground-type fall to the ground- for I had seen it happen to numerous trainers in my experience. As soon as the Swampert was withdrawn into its Pokéball I saw Brendan slipping from consciousness.

Thank Arceus that I managed to catch the teen before he hit the floor. I gently lowered him to the ground and stroked his cheek lightly- he was so beautiful…  
I reprimanded myself harshly in my head. I needed to get a grip on my emotions.

Now was _not _the time for this  
Now was the time to exact vengeance on this monster.

"Steven Stone…what do you think you're doing here?" Maxie growled at me. Tabitha scoffed and placed a hand on his hip.

"Maybe he's tired of being Hoenn's 'beloved Champion' and would rather try to be a washed up superhero." He taunted. I glanced down at the unconscious boy at my feet and back up at the Team Magma admin. I could feel the hatred begin to boil up from inside. _How _dare_ he do this to Brendan? He had NO right. _

"Did you really think you would get off the hook so easily for attacking this boy?"  
I caught Maxi rolling his eyes.  
"What does it matter to you anyway?" My anger seethed. _It mattered everything to me. As long as I'm around NO ONE would be permitted to hurt Brendan like this!  
_ "Battle me." It practically ripped out of my throat as a growl.  
"Give me a break. What would I gain from battling _you_ Stone?" I glanced at Brendan again, anger became blind rage instantly. My self-control snapped like a twig. I had no control of my body as I charged across the floor slammed the monster into the wall as if I were a stampeding Nidoking. My forearm pinned itself snuggly to his collarbone and pressed him into the brick wall with a mighty force.  
I was trembling head to toe from the adrenaline rush as another growl ripped itself free of my trachea.  
"You will battle me whether you want to or not. Unless you would rather have me kill you with my bare hands for all that you've done." I shamefully admit that a surge of pleasure inched its way up my spine as I drank in the look of sheer terror in Maxie's eyes.  
I had become so instantly _possessive_of Brendan that I most likely could have killed the beast on the spot…but that would have made me no better than him.

I could feel Maxie choke a lump of fear down his throat before shakily agreeing to my deal.  
Tabitha had been too busy _pissing his pants out of sheer terror_as I threatened his leader's life.

I brought my arm away from Maxie's chest and snatched the first pokeball in my pocket.

_Metagross…that's all it should take. _

"Don't think I'd ever go easy on you. Especially after what you did to Brendan…You'll be lucky if I leave you capable of walking." I could feel the adrenaline rush slowly climb itself down as I prepared myself for the easy battle.  
"Of course…" It was lovely to hear how shaken and terrified Maxie was. Tabitha was too horrified to even speak.

I was personally astonished at how primal I had become in that short amount of time. _How possessive I was of Brendan in the face of danger._I could never bring myself to imagine what would have happened if I came in to find Brendan in any worse of a state.

As expected, I blew through Maxie's and Tabitha's team with ease. My Metagross gracefully Meteor Mashing each of their Pokémon until fainted, to my delight bashing Maxie and Tabitha once and a while- weakening them to their knees. To be honest, their Pokémon were shamefully weak for such a _powerful_ organization.

Then again, I am rather biased.

In a matter of no time I had both Maxie and Tabitha's Pokémon completely crushed. I felt a little joy in seeing Maxie shaking weakly on his knees…_it was almost nothing compared to the harm he did to Brendan_. Maxie withdrew his Camerupt reluctantly and threw me a distained glance.  
"You really are as strong as they say you are…" he sighed and signaled Tabitha to leave with him.  
And with that he disappeared down the stairs.

_goodness, did I let that brute off easy. _I had a feeling that I would have no more problems with the man however…

I was startled soft coughing by my feet and gasped as I realized Brendan had been lying there throughout the entire battle. _I was so overtaken with sheer anger the entire time.  
_I quickly knelt down beside the worn boy and placed my hand on his cheek. Fortunately, the bleeding from his nose had stopped.  
"Brendan… please tell me you're alright…" Ruby eyes looked up at me in what almost seemed like…adoration? _I could only dream for such. _Whatever it was, it made my heart tizzy.

"Steven that was…amazing." I felt my cheeks heat up at his compliment. How odd.  
"…it was nothing. Are you well enough to stand?" _if Maxie seriously hurt this _

_amazing person, he's dead. _ To my relief, Brendan nodded and stood up with some help from my arm. _How heavenly it felt to have those hands on my skin again_. I wanted more time with him. My entire being craved to be with Brendan.  
I needed an excuse, quickly!  
"I…I know it's a little strange, but I actually live on this island. By any chance do you want to come to my house and rest up? You could clean yourself up and rest your team…if you want that is." My cheeks burned as I asked the question. Even though I set out to avoid Brendan he somehow keeps getting thrown back into my path. A few words rung clear in my mind _may our journeys cross again_. Goodness was that a stretch. Crossed paths? More like knotted paths.  
Brendan smiled shyly and nodded.  
"Actually…that would be great. I've been meaning to talk to you; and after seeing that performance just now- I have a lot more to talk to you about…" He smiled weakly at me.  
_ So cute_. My eyes decided to quench their sudden thirst and drink in all of the marvelous boy. Although disheveled and slightly beaten, _he was still the most miraculous thing I had ever seen before in my life.  
_When had I fallen so hard for the boy?

"Well, are you going to take me to your house or what?" He chuckled a bit and took my hand, leading me towards the staircase. Holding that small soft hand in mine, even through the thick material of his gloves, was like a dream. To think that he would still even talk to me after…after-  
_oh my goodness. I forgot I kissed him! _  
My face must have been tamato berry red at this point, remembering the rather steamy first kiss I shared with the teen just yesterday.  
How in the world could I have forgotten that!

_It was the best moment of my entire LIFE.  
_

Was he still mad at me for that incident? What would I do now? _He doesn't even like me…_  
Brendan let go of my hand as we reached the bottom of the stairs. He stared up at me with those stunning eyes, they hinted at concern I think I even spotted…_fear?_

_His emotions were so honest and pure…_

"Steven…is something wrong? You look troubled…"  
He was sharp wasn't he? I struggled for words for a moment and smiled.  
"Sorry I just zoned out for a moment." _Smooth Steven, smooth. _Fortunately he laughed a bit and we continued out of the building. From the looks of things, the scientists had Team Magma under control; except for Maxie and Tabitha who managed to escape.  
Regardless, I had my revenge and showed them their place- and now I had my time alone with Brendan.  
"Brendan, what are you doing in Mossdeep anyway? And what was Maxie here for?" He smiled up at me when I held the door for him. It's kind of funny that I didn't realize how nice it was outside today.

The Wingull were floating along the gentle air currents, the clouds were far and few and I'm sure if one looked hard enough a few Wailmer could be spotted playing atop the waves.  
_Or maybe it just seems nicer because Brendan's here_… I shook my head like a Poochyena with water in its ears, Brendan just chuckled at me.

"You know I'm not giving up on the Champion, right? I came to Mossdeep to battle Tate and Liza. You should know that!" Oh that's right, there's a Gym on this island- the Psychic Gym. Gym's and Pokémon…_that's what I do again_…_Batteling…Champions…  
Brendans…_  
"Of course, how could I forget; but what about Maxie?" Brendan scuffed his heels along the dirt pathway as we walked slowly across the tiny city.  
"From what I heard he was trying to steal the rocket fuel, but you stopped him! That battle you had with him…I had no idea you had that in you old man! Where did you learn to fight like that?" He pepped up like a Minun- he was so precious.  
I shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly and sighed.  
"Years of practice I assume, but I really wasn't trying. Maxie's not worth a good battle." I sighed. It'd been far too long since I had a truly challenging opponent. "And I'm not old." I grumbled elbowing Brendan in the shoulder.  
"Well you're older than me; and that makes you old." He beamed up at me and giggled. If I could just pinch his cheeks and cradle him in my arms-

_oh that would be a glorious day..._

* * *

_Yaaaaay Brendan's ok! C:_  
_Let me know what you think~_

_Now, keep in mind that the next chapter...will take place in Steven's home. Alone. With Brendan..._  
_can you say tension?_

Ok now feed me your reviews and the sooner i'll be encouraged to write the next juicy chapter ;)

_** IN OTHER NEWS**:_  
_What's your biggest distraction when trying to get something done?_

_Because for me...sadly It's probably the internet. _

_(I love you people so much that I sacrificed my much needed sleep for you, JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW [you're all welcome])_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello again lovely readers!_

_Thanks so much for all of the reviews and corrections, I appreciate them all so much._

_Sorry for the wait for this chapter, hopefully it will be worth the wait (Considering how long it took to write and revise)_

_I hope you're all pleased :)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 8: What Happens Behind Closed Doors-and Coffee Tables **

Truth be told there was a time in my life, _most of my life_, where if anyone had told me that I would fall in love with a Tauros-headed teenager (_A boy at that_), aggressively defend him in a battle against Team Magma and proceed to take the boy home that I would cringe and highly recommend that they had a thorough mental examination; regardless here I am in that exact predicament.

The walk to my home from the Space Center was pleasant. I was given the opportunity to chat casually with Brendan- who in my opinion was Arceus in human form. Brendan babbled about his Pokémon almost the entire time, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. It was refreshing to see a passion in him that _wasn't_ for the Pokémon Champion. Even every now and then our fingers brushed, sending an electrifying tingle up my spine; _Every time I meekly shoved my hands in my pant pockets_.  
Once and a while dazzling beryl eyes would catch mine; I would catch smile that made my heart skip a beat. _I was turning into someone completely different. _

"So Steven, you never explained why you came to the Space Center in the first place." Brendan hinted scuffing his heels along the dirt path.

"I was actually staying at a friend's house when I got a call asking me for help. I mean I couldn't really turn them down…I live here and all…" I smiled as black brows furrowed.

"What _kind_ of friend?" I smirked as the boy grumbled; it was plain to see that the thought of a love interest bothered him.

"Not that it's any of your business, but he's my best friend…and your next gym leader to beat." His eyes shot up to mine again.

"You're best friends with Wallace? You're lying!" A small chuckle wiggled its way out of my chest as I pushed my hair back.

"Yes, he's a real sweetheart. You'd better not beat him too badly or you'll have me to deal with." I must admit it was fun to tease him, I always felt so accomplished to see a faint blush dust his cheeks at my handiwork.

"I was actually stunned…I had no idea you could battle like that…I don't think I could ever beat you." I stopped in my tracks and grabbed Brendan by the shoulder, staring him square in the eye.

"Yes you could." I just grinned as his eyes widened and a huge smile crept across his face.

"You really think so?" Turning to walk again, I shoved my hands in my pockets and took a deep breath of the salt air.

"_I know so_."

I could see my house just a block or so away from where we were walking; I froze stiff.

There was no way I could take Brendan inside my house. _What would he think of me if he saw the place?_  
It was horrible and everyone knew it. Wallace constantly reprimanded me on the condition of my house.  
Seeing as I was rarely ever home to live in the mess of paperwork and rocks, I had little need of furniture…or much food. My little house was a complete wreck.

"Hold on Brendan. I just remembered that my house is kind of a complete…well, disaster." He just beamed up at me and shrugged.

"How bad could it be? I still want to go, I need to sit down somewhere soon…I'm actually still a little lightheaded." I could feel the mother Torchic deep inside me screaming to get the boy into the safety of my home.  
_ How strange. _

I grabbed his little hand and led him to my home at a faster pace than before; I held his hand all the way to the door. _Every second that I was able to touch the teen was a blessing. _

"Welcome to my crappy little 2 ½ room home, complete with an entertainment room, kitchenette and bathroom. Make yourself at home." I chimed as I flung open the door.  
Brendan snickered and kicked off his sneakers at the door. I followed him in- catching quite a good glance of his tight haunches.

"Oh and by the way there's no couch. Or bed…or chairs" He quirked an eyebrow at me; _Why did he have to be so cute?_

"Well that's dumb. Where do you sleep?" I blushed with the full awareness that normal adults had bedrooms and proper furniture, but I just can't be normal can I?  
I grabbed his hand again and led him to the centerpiece of my entertainment room: my bed-table. I could tell the boy was trying to hold back his laughter at my ridiculous bed, but I didn't care. Table-bed is better than no bed.

Swiftly, I ducked under the hunk of wood and settled myself amongst the sea of pillows and blankets. When Brendan didn't follow me under, I stretched out a hand and splayed it open for his.

"Come on in, you've probably never seen anything like this." To my absolute thrill, he grabbed my hand and slowly crouched under my dining room table with me.  
I watched in silent delight as garnet eyes widened like saucers and Brendan flopped face first into my mountain of pillows. He threw his arms above his head and rolled around to face the "ceiling" of the table.

"You know…at first I thought this was insane. But now that I'm in this _bed_…It's really cozy. Like a little fluffy cave." He smiled over at me, causing my cheeks to burn. "It suits you; you're always in caves aren't you?"

"I suppose you could say that. Rock collecting is my hobby." He patted the pillows beside him with a tiny gloved hand for me to come lay down next to him; obviously I quickly obeyed. Nestled next to the boy of my dreams in my warm little makeshift bed, I sighed contentedly. I would have never imagined things to be like this, even just temporarily. _Even if he still loved the 'Champion'.  
_

"Brendan if you don't mind me asking, what do you think you'd be doing if you weren't spending all of your time pursuing the Champion?" Ruby eyes locked on mine and narrowed in thought.

"Actually I've never really thought of that…I'd probably try to be a Pokémon contest coordinator. Or a fashion designer! But I still think I'd rather have a go at the Champion…" He blushed a bit and chewed on his bottom lip. "I can always follow those plans after I'm living happily ever after with _him_." My eyebrows furrowed and I shot him a skeptical look.

"That's childish. There's no such thing as happily ever after." He looked up at me and stuck his tongue out.

"You're just jealous." _That hit the nail on the head- super effective. _Not that I could let him know that. I had to maintain some pride.

"Why would I be jealous? What is there to be jealous _of_?" I retorted. _Who's jealous now, huh_?  
Brendan blushed brighter and pulled his cap off of his head, kneading it between his hands and staring down at it. _Stop looking so meek and delectable_.

What in the world was happening to my thoughts? Have I always been so _starved_?

"Well…I thought when…when you…the other day…that…" _How could I ever forget that splendid moment the other day?_

"What about the other day?" I couldn't help but taunt him, he was being so bashful. He huffed and looked up at me with hopeful crimson eyes.  
_I was really just trying to cover up my feelings._

"I thought it meant you liked me." My heart fluttered at the words. If only my feelings could be returned…

"Possibly. What are you trying to get at?" _I couldn't bear the hurt of flat out rejection if I told him my feelings now. _  
For a moment, I swear I could feel those beautiful eyes watching my lips.

"You know, that was my first kiss ever with a _man_." Was he getting closer?

"Mine as well." It came out as no more than a breath.  
I felt his small hand reach up and slide against the back of my neck.

"I've actually…kind of been wondering if we could…do it again." My face must have flushed completely red by that point, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he hesitated and looked up at me with hurt in his striking eyes.

"You do like me don't you? Why did you leave me before? What did I do wrong? I'm just getting so many mixed signals from you…I mean I thought you hated me, then you hugged and kissed me…what am I supposed to think?" The hot whisper fanned across my lips.

_This is torture. _

His gloved hands slid themselves to my cheeks and held my face firmly.

"Well…actually I-I-" I was cut off by a horrible pain. It felt like someone was shoving a knife into my ankle. I screamed in poor Brendan's face and kicked my leg, finding the source of my pain.

My sweet little Aron unlatched itself from my skin and trotted up happily to meet Brendan, stepping on my face as he crossed. Brendan gasped and took the little thing into those hands that I craved to be on _my _skin and pushed his nose up against the brat's head.

"Well aren't you cute!" Brendan snuggled my Aron affectionately while I rubbed my aching ankle. I don't think I've ever had such an intense urge to hit a Pokémon. Aron squealed in delight and nuzzled Brendan's cheek. Brendan gently rubbed the underside of my Aron who rolled onto his back and wiggled his stubby legs in the air. "Who's a good little girl? Who's a good-"

"Boy." I corrected irritably, inspecting the damage on my leg; no broken skin, thank Arceus.

"My bad…I've met him before but he's never been this loveable, what level is this little cutie-pie?" It was almost annoying to listen to Brendan baby-talk to my Aron, but Brendan was being delightful; _My Aron getting all of his attention was the annoying part._

"I think he's level 98 or near that at least. He probably just wants food…" Brendan looked shocked at my little metal companion. Then I watched a faint flush raise on Brendan's cheeks.

"Uhm…speaking of food do you have anything that…" I heard the quiet gurgle of Brendan's stomach and snorted.

"Of course, I think I have something in the kitchenette."

After a few minutes of digging around I found that, to my dismay, all that was in my mini-fridge was berries.  
_ How embarrassing._

"All I have is Razz, Sitrus, and Pamtre berries. If you want I could go out and get you something…" I was ashamed to have so little to offer, but he could have anything he wanted. To my surprise his head popped out from under the table, grin plastered on his face, and chuckled.

"There's no need for that, Sitrus berries are totally my _favorite_!" I pulled out 3 yellow berries and walked them over to Brendan.

"Wonderful! You can have all of them." He took the large fruit into his little hands. _Oh how much I wanted to touch and kiss those hands…_

"_All_ of them? Are you sure?" I plopped down in front of him.

"Well I'm not going to eat them…" I felt a tiny warm hand grasp my cheek as the boy leaned forward and kissed my cheek lightly.

"Thank you so much." He whispered in my ear, quickly returning under the table to shove half of a berry into his mouth.  
My cheek burned as if a Blaziken had just used Flamethrower on it. I held my hand to my face as I watched Brendan disappear under some sheets with his fruit.  
What did this mean? Did he actually like me? _He did want to kiss me earlier…  
_

If he _did_ actually feel for me this way, did it make my feelings okay? Did it mean that I could seek his affection? What if I was getting mixed signals? I honestly never had been in this position with anyone before. _My face is so hot. Couldn't I just hold him for a little while?_

My thoughts were interrupted when Brendan spoke up again, peeking his face out from under the sheets.

"Steven, are you sure you don't want any?" I was baffled for a few seconds until I could respond properly- face still smoldering from the kiss.

"Um… I'm fine, thank you." Black hair appeared from beneath the sheet and Brendan stared up at me with imploring eyes. Goosebumps forcefully invaded every centimeter of my skin.

"Only a little bit! Please?" I knew that he would be hurt if I didn't consent, _or at least pretend to be_; I simply could not bring myself to hurt him again. So with a sigh of defeat I scooted myself closer to the table- the flame in my cheek only a small ember now. "Come under with me!" He giggled happily, sliding further away from me beneath the table. _It was so predictable of him to make me follow._

As soon as I was fully under the piece of furniture Brendan threw the sheet over my head so that we were both covered. It was like some sort of cheaply made Ghastly costume without eyes- had the Pokémon had two heads. I actually felt rather childish under my crappy table and a sheet with the boy of my dreams. _It felt nice._ I furrowed my brow in confusion as he took a large bite out of the second Sitrus berry.

"What are you doing? This is ridiculous." _Was this a dream? I could only dream to be in such close quarters with Brendan on his own terms. _

Without warning those wonderfully small hands were groping my neck, fingers itching around for as much skin as possible. I looked in those perfect ruby eyes and saw something I would have never imagined. There was no mistaking the _need_ clear in his eyes. They were yearning, calling out for-for…_me?_

Then those delicious lips crashed against mine I gasped- allowing the teen full access to my mouth. _Not that I had any disputes against that…  
_

Along with the warm tongue I felt a piece of fruit slip into my mouth, still gaping like a water-type Pokémon, and tried to swallow the berry without choking. His tongue had the sweet tartness of the berry; I was aching for the taste.

My hands hiked their way to his soft face and glued themselves there, my thumbs gently rubbing at his cheeks. I shivered when a small noise escaped his throat.  
Suddenly he was on top of me and pulling gently at my hair, his tongue forcing itself as far as possible into my mouth. All of the foreign sensations were so wonderful and pleasing and surprisingly _natural_. I contented myself with smoothing my tongue over his lip whilst he prodded eagerly into my own mouth.

I was overwhelmed with the sensations, more touching and feeling than I think I had ever done in my life. I didn't want to miss a second of it. The warm breath gusting over my skin, the small hands pulling at my hair every so often, the warm sweet tongue pulsing in my mouth and the smell of salt water on his skin flabbergasted my brain. I would have been blissful continuing on like this forever.

After a few more moments of caressing soft skin with my calloused fingers and running silky strands of black hair through my fingers, I paused. I needed a few moments to clear my head; everything had become hazy and warm under the weight of Brendan's slight frame.

"Wait, wait…Brendan wait." I pulled my mouth away. I could see the fear of rejection in his eyes. He obviously didn't want things to be like last time. I rubbed his cheek with my thumb and stared up at his lovely eyes while my brain continued to drown in a lusty haze.

"I need a few minutes to clear my head. I don't know if…" his eyes were wide, fingers curled tightly in my hair. After a large sigh I closed my eyes again and brushed my fingers against his neck. "Just give me a little bit of time please." He nodded aversely and nuzzled his face into my chest, kissing lightly at my collar. I could hear a slight pout in his voice when he spoke up.

"How _much_ time?" I stroked his soft hair.

"I'm not quite sure." The haziness began to clear itself as I mulled over my options.

I could continue fooling around with Brendan and pretend like there wasn't a giant mess that we had to deal with; we could just live blissfully in the moment and deal with that bump when we had to- but folly didn't suit me.

I _could_ stop this and make him realize that I'm not the person he wanted, I could deprive myself of him when he had finally come to desire me; _after all he was just a child._

My choice of action was to distract him and put off dealing with either these problems. I couldn't get myself any deeper involved with him at the moment, but I could still be with him; and that was plenty enough for me.

Now my only concern was to distract him from his previous, _although blissful_, actions.

"Brendan, how are you feeling after that battle? Do you need anything else?" Brendan scooted himself up and settled to kiss at my neck, chilling my spine.

"I'm good." He mumbled, lips latching themselves to my skin, tongue exploring.

"That's a relief. You know…I've never been so aggressive before. I don't know what happened during that battle, I just snapped. I'm rather ashamed of how I dealt with it, but if my actions kept you safe…I'm glad." He kissed at my neck harder this time, biting gently every so often. I had to fight hard to keep my brain from hazing over again. "How about your travels, do you need anything for them? Items? Sleep? How about a shower? It would probably feel wonderful after spending all of that time crossing Route 124. How long did that take you by the way?" Brendan pulled away from my neck and sighed.

"You know, if you don't like me you could just say so Steven. I can go somewhere else."

Is that what he thought? Where in the world did he get that idea?

"Of course I like you! I…I just don't know if _I'm _ready to do this. I can't just let myself go wild…that's ungentlemanly…" he put his hands on my shoulders and pushed himself up to look at me, ruby eyes hooded.

"But I want you to." He dove in for a kiss and caught my lips in his for a moment, but I forced myself to press his face back.

"No, you don't want me to. _You don't want me._" The boy frowned and his eyebrows scrunched tightly.

"I _do._" He pressed forward for another kiss, but I had to stop him.

"No Brendan, you don't want _me_. You want the _champion._ And you know it as well." Brendan didn't push forward again, he just looked down at me sadly and averted his eyes. He rested his head back on my chest and placed his small hands against my heart.

"…_I know."_ Small fingers curled against my shirt. "But I _do _want you."

_This was getting painful. Couldn't I just tell him so that we could both be happy and have each other?_

"You don't want me, Brendan. It's OK. I understand." His fingers clutched the fabric of my dress shirt.

"I do! But I've worked so hard to get close to _him_…" His hands started shaking a little. "And what if you were right? What if you _were_ right? I'm just a greedy brat…he won't even look my way."

_I said that? What kind of creature animal AM I?  
_

"That's not true at all though, he'll _love _you. I know him pretty well. I know what he'll see in you." _What an understatement.  
_ He sniffled and I rubbed his back gently. He really could be just like a defenseless child. It was endearing how open he was.

"You don't know." He mumbled. I smiled a little and brushed the back of my fingers against his cheek.

"_I know._" He grabbed his other berry from the sheets and sniffled while he finished the last of it, dripping a puddle of juice on my chest. He picked up his head and kissed my jaw lightly. I noticed that he was smiling up at me.

"I hope the Champion's just like you." _You'd be surprised, kid. _I just chuckled, trying to hide my uneasiness at the remark. Brendan rolled off of me and sat up running a hand through his now-messy hair. "I think I'll take you up on that offer for a shower now, if you don't mind…" Brendan smiled meekly.

"I don't mind at all." I grabbed that warm hand once more and led him out from my disheveled 'bed'.

I don't think I had ever had such a wonderful time beneath the sheets of my bed before that day.

* * *

I decided to pass the time while Brendan showered by lying in my bed and petting my selfish Aron, having gotten over the ankle incident.

I understand it was rather odd, but I found myself enjoying the scent Brendan left on my pillows; it was salty and sweet. I began to get desperate to keep my thoughts from wandering to something unsuitable; my Aron lost interest in me when my attention was no longer directed at him, so he scampered off. I didn't care. I just couldn't get the image of the teen's young shower-soaked body out of my head. It was a thought that chilled my skin and heated my stomach. My brain gladly elaborated on the details of his lithe frame, smooth skin warm from the water with small droplets running down every centimeter of his soft body.  
I pressed my face harder into the pillow, trying to get as much of his scent as possible.

I could just imagine what those warm delicate hands would feel like against my bare skin, the thought made my stomach flip like an Aipom. I knew my face was flushing when I felt my nether regions began to stiffen. _I was uncontrollable._

Both of my fists clung to the pillow and my breathing became unsteady. Unfortunately my _creative_ imagination wasn't done yet. My mind's eye developed some incredibly clear images of Brendan writhing in my sheets. He was arching beautifully with the most erotic expression on his face. I could practically hear him panting as my mind continued to fabricate a sensual clip of this gorgeous teen.

His fingers were knotted tightly in my hair once more pulling roughly, our teeth clashed once and a while his as lips crashed against mine sloppily. His chest arched upwards and one leg hooked around my waist as he pulled me close against his bare body. Our skin pulsed together, our breathing became one and our hands starved.

The pressure in my pants was beginning to get uncomfortable, and as much as I did not want to relieve myself with Brendan _anywhere_ near me, I couldn't stop my hands from reaching down and unzipping my slacks. My breathing was staggered and airy and my hips drove themselves into the pile of pillows beneath me. Something close to a whimper escaped my throat as I gripped the pillow tightly and huffed again. _I really didn't want to pleasure myself to him. It didn't feel right_.

And yet at the same time it still felt _so_ right.

I began to slide a hand down my hips when my phone started buzzing wildly in my back pocket, dropping my stomach to my toes like a cinderblock. My hand quickly grabbed the vibrating cell out of my pants and lifted it up to my face.

_I forgot to call Wallace. For crying out loud…_

It wasn't like I could ignore his call, _as much as I wanted to_. Reluctantly, I answered the phone and pressed it against my ear with a shaky hand.

"Yes Wallace?" His voice was high and worried on the other end.

"Steven! Are you ok? How did everything go? Where are you? What are you doing?" I sighed and tried to steady my voice when I spoke, presumably failing.

"I'm fine. Things were fine. I'm home. Brendan's here." I heard a gasp from the other end of the phone.

"How in Arceus did _that_ happen? Why is he in your home? _What are you doing?_" I chewed my lip as I tried to force aside any mental images of Brendan showering, again failing.

"He's wet and naked." I gasped in horror of what slipped out of my mouth. Where did those words possibly come from? Wallace sputtered and gasped for breath.

"_Steven Stone!_ What in Hoenn has gotten into you? I demand an explanation this instant!" He was practically squealing. I couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth; I mean it was bad enough that those thoughts were in my head, but _good gracious. _

"I'm so sorry. What I meant to say was that he's the shower. I-I don't even know where that came from." Wallace sighed into the phone; I could picture the flamboyant man with a hand to his chest and face frazzled as ever.

"Don't you dare do that to me again! I'm too young to deal with that kind of stress. My poor heart can't take this kind of thing." I chewed on my lip as my hips involuntarily shoved themselves harder into the pillows. The friction almost made me moan, _Arceus forbid that happen.  
_

"Steven, are you alright? You sound winded; are you sure everything at the Space Center was fine? Why didn't you call me? I was worried sick." I bit onto my hand to repress a moan.

"I'm fine. It's nothing. I just got sidetracked." Wallace, being his typical self, decided to pry into the full story more.

"What about you and Brendan? How is everything from the other day? Why is he at your house?" _Why did he have so many bothersome questions?  
Then again I suppose any question would be bothersome whilst trying to suppress a persistent hard-on. _

"Things are…going. I'm just not sure what to do anymore. Why did I have to go and develop _feelings_ for someone?" It then occurred to me that talking to Wallace could potentially distract me from my _problem_ and make it disappear.

"Honey, that's what's supposed to happen. What are you having problems with?" I propped my chin on a pillow and drew my spare hand to rest at my cheek.

"He still likes my alter ego more than me, but I can't hold myself back much longer. I mean couldn't the kid just do his research? It's not like my being the you-know-what is a secret anyway!" I tried to muffle my irritation with the pillow.

"And why can't you just tell him?"

"He doesn't want to know…plus I don't want to be rejected."

_"I hope the Champion's just like you."_ Those words flashed through my thoughts, but they couldn't be true.I heard a frustrated sigh from the other line.

"Steven, what makes you think that putting off possible rejection will change the outcome when he ultimately discovers that you _are_ the Pokémon champion?" Although Wallace proposed a good question, I had already fretted over that minor detail.

"I was hoping I could get him to like me before he found out…"

"That is so _childish_! Come on now Steven, what made you think that was a good idea?"

"It actually worked." I agreed with Wallace on this one, but facts showed that Brendan started to develop feelings for me. By this time I had almost completely forgotten the problem in my slacks, and was relived to discover that the problem was almost solved.

"That's…wonderful. I guess you didn't make such a bad decision after all. But why can't you tell him now?"  
_Good question.  
_

Well first of all there's the fact that he's a child; I don't know anything about my sexuality at this point and I don't think I'm ready to face my demons and come out as a possibly gay man, I had a reputation to uphold after all; His dad is my boss and could potentially destroy my life; And then there was _my_ dad.

_Now that was a bridge I was not willing to cross any time soon._

"I'm not too sure." Smooth recovery.

"You should consider throwing caution to the wind and just going for it. It seemed to work for you so far." Wallace sighed into the speaker and I considered the possibilities of that. "And if he somehow returned your feelings and sacrificed his 'champion' to be with you it would be so romantic. Just like something out of a novel."

"I don't think I'm ready to tell him." My stomach still felt queasy from the thought of coming out to my father. I couldn't even imagine what his reaction would be.

_On the bright side my lower regions were no longer throbbing!  
_  
I heard a door close before Wallace could get out a response, my head snapped up out of the pillow. There was Brendan standing in the doorway wearing _nothing but a bath towel_. My throat dried up like route 111.

"Listen, I've got to go. I'll call you back." I ignored any protest the water-trainer tried to come up with as I hung up and tossed my phone into the sheets. I was suddenly aware of how closely the teen was watching me.

"Ready to tell who what?" The teasing voice came from across the room. I choked on my tongue as I realized that the boy had been listening to my conversation. _Quick be suave! Be suave!  
_

"Oh, it's nothing. I just got a call in from work." I tried not to stare at his smooth, wet torso as he came closer, but it was so difficult. I kept catching glimpses of his pert nipples that were standing against a smooth white plane of skin. I felt my pants tighten again; I resisted the urge to swear under my breath.

"What do you work as?" lean legs were so close as he sat down in front of me. I felt lightheaded as I watched a drop of water roll from his neck down his torso. I had to avert my eyes; those pink nubs were just too tempting.

"Um…I work with my father." He propped his chin on a palm and grinned at me.

"What do you do for him?"

My jaw hung for a moment, heart throbbing against my breast plate as I tried to ignore the pulsing issue in my pants.

"He has me run errands and do paperwork; nothing too exciting." _Did he just bat his eyelashes?_

"Fascinating. Where does Pokémon training fit in with being a stuffy business man?" I shrugged off his question and clutched the sheets in one hand. I had seen my fair share of shirtless men in my lifetime, but I had never been attracted to any of them. _I felt like I was going to explode. _

"Brendan not to be candid, but where are your clothes?"

"They're in the bathroom. If it's not too much trouble could I throw them in your washer? That is if you have one." My heart leapt at boldness he showed, it was similar to the spunk he bared when we first met.

"Of course you can. Would you like to borrow some clothes in the meantime?" If he didn't accept my offer I thought I would die.

"That would be awesome." I sighed in relief and crawled backwards from the table so he couldn't see me zip my slacks as I stood up. I tried to act casually as I made my way to the closet. I pulled open the door to find a plethora of white dress shirts and black slacks; none of which would fit Brendan. I gnawed anxiously on my lip as I dug through the piles of clothes, finally coming across a pair of grey fleece sweat pants and an old t-shirt. I tossed the clothes to Brendan and began my trek to the bathroom; a_ll the way across the room_. I had to pass him and hide the strain in my pants at the same time.

The fates were against me when halfway across the room, Brendan dropped the towel from his waist without warning and stood, back facing me, stark naked in the middle of my home. I felt like I was going to pass out when I caught a glimpse of his firm hindquarters. I couldn't hold back a gasp, but I tried to keep it silent. I could feel my dry mouth fill with saliva as I tried to pry my eyes away from his young skin and continue to the bathroom. My feet moved much faster until I threw myself into the bathroom and closed the door.

It was safe to allow my breathing to turn into a gentle pant, but I had to be careful. I propped myself against the tile wall and unzipped my pants completely. The only thing I could think to do right now was to hide my erection. I slammed my eyes closed and tucked the appendage beneath the elastic of my underwear, zipping my pants back up and holding it in place with my belt. I was uncomfortable, but it would have to do while I took care of his clothes. I grabbed the pile of clothes off of my floor and tucked them under my arm. Luck would have it that I missed his underwear when I picked the clothing up. I felt my cheeks burn at the sight of the small pair of grey briefs on my floor.

The humidity in the room made me feel sweaty, I was just so flustered at the moment that I couldn't do anything but snatch up the briefs and shove them into the pile of clothes under my arm.

I practically ran through the house to put the load in the washer; I was desperate for privacy to put an end to my "reoccurring problem." I was pouring detergent into the machine when I felt a warm hand on my arm. I couldn't hold back a flinch of surprise. I dropped the lid to the washer and started the load when the hand slid to my side.

"Thank you." I hadn't realized how close Brendan was to me until I felt his breath against my neck. I pulled away from the hand and turned away from him awkwardly. I wasn't comfortable being so close to him in my 'state.'

"It's no problem. I'm going to go take a shower now if you don't mind." I found myself rushing to the bathroom; I was too frantic to look at him.

Once the door was locked behind me I tore out of my pants as fast as possible; erection weeping to be free of my belt. I stumbled to turn on the shower to mask any uncontrolled noises that escaped my unbridled mouth. I peeled off my shirt and climbed into the warming water. Clenching my eyes closed, a cold hand reached down to stroke my sore member. _It felt wonderful_.

My fingers curled around the base and slowly slid themselves up and down the shaft, I bit down on my lip to try and suppress my moaning. The water was now a pleasant temperature against my skin. My hand gained a steady speed and I leaned against the shower wall for support. My wild imagination started acting up again, replacing the picture of _my_ hand on my throbbing member with the small soft one of Brendan's. Just the thought of his smooth skin against mine made me moan into my free palm. My lungs were heaving for air as my hand squeezed harder and thrashed against my skin.

_Brendan's soft tongue in my mouth; Brendan's tender hand jerking unsteadily at my pulsating erection; Brendan's warm, sweet breath against my lips; Brendan's pert nipples rubbing against my abdomen; Brendan's long legs twined around my body; Brendan's slender fingers knotted in my hair and tugging as roughly as possible. _

My hips began to thrust erratically into my hand and I tried to muffle my cries of pleasure. My knees felt weak as my fingers grasped tightly, other hand trailed to stroke at the sore spots on my neck that the teen had previously abused.

_Brendan's exploring mouth on my skin; Brendan's slender hips in my arms; Brendan's small grey briefs being torn from his body; Brendan's tight, bare butt. Brendan, Brendan, Brendan. _

All of my senses were overwhelmed by the thought of the brunette. My other hand clutched at my member with my other, mind fogged over and mouth gaping.

_Brendan whimpering my name in pure ecstasy as he arched perfectly beneath me, clutching to my skin as if his life depended on it.  
_

_Brendan, Brendan, Brendan…  
_

"_B-Brendan_" slipped from my lips like lava. My head jerked back as the white heat of orgasm shook my body. I quickly shoved the back of my wrist against my mouth as I rode out the pleasure, hand slick with white fluid. I relied solely on the tiled wall for support as I allowed the hot water to rinse me clean. My chest throbbed as I waited for the grogginess to fade so that I could properly clean myself.

* * *

I was slightly ashamed at how elaborate and _sensual_ my fantasies were becoming, but at the same time it made my release better than it ever had been before. I felt dirty deep past my skin because of these illusions. No amount of soap would clean me this time.

I walked into the living room wrapped snuggly in a robe, surprised to find Brendan nowhere in sight. I scuffed my way to the closet, quickly stepping into a pair of sweatpants before looking around for him; his shoes were still at the door after all.

It wasn't much of a search for Brendan once I heard some soft snoring and rustling from under the table. I crouched down to find him curled up in my comforter sleeping peacefully. I sat down and took the opportunity to memorize every small detail of his face. Long dark lashes were perfect against his pink cheeks; everything about him was just so lovely. He shifted in his sleep mumbling something incoherent under his breath. When his bangs fell to the side as he moved, then I noticed something that I had never seen before. There were two rather large scars along his hairline. My jaw dropped at the sight of the healed wounds on his head. _I couldn't imagine the pain the injury must have caused him_.

Was this why he constantly wore that red and white hat? My fingers ached to touch the scar, lips ached to kiss it, but I refrained of better judgment. If he felt the need to hide any part of him in shame I wished that I could convince him otherwise. After a few more moments of admiring the dozing teen, I noticed a slip of paper placed on one of the pillows beside him.

It read "join me" with a loopy heart afterwards.

I sighed and placed the paper back on the pillow. There was no way I could possibly lie in bed with Brendan after what I just did to the thought of him in the shower. Besides, I was too anxious to sleep. So many new and troublesome, yet wonderful, things were racing through my head at Mach speed.

Brendan sighed in his sleep and snuggled close to a pillow.

"Steven..."

My heart pounded.

_I yearned so badly to hold the boy in my arms again. He was perfect._

* * *

_Whew that was long o-o_

_I hope it met your expectations...or something_

_Now I want your opinions for the next chapter:_

Do I follow the Pokemon Sapphire or Emerald plot lines for the next chapter? I've already combined the two in the previous chapter if you didn't catch it ;D  
The Space Center infiltration was only in Emerald, but Steven's the Champ in Sapphire...sneaky sneaky.

Anyway, I don't feel like choosing so give me your feedback and majority will win!

Thank you all for reading and have a happy Halloween~


	9. Chapter 9

_Well readers, I did it. The chapter is finally finished.  
_

_I know it took a while, but I think it will be worth it._

_Consider this my belated Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years present to all of you wonderful people :)_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Little Bit of Rain Never Hurt Nobody**

It felt wonderful to have the warm, salty air blowing against my cold skin. I was exhausted and weak. If the clay ground weren't so cold I could have easily fallen asleep on the ground to the lullaby of ocean waves dancing against the rocks. A dull throbbing headache was strengthening due to fatigue and the way to soothe it was to sleep.

However, I could not sleep.

It had been almost a day since Brendan left my home, but the scent of him was still embedded in my pillows. To be honest, I wasn't ready to wash the scent of him away, but it was keeping me up all night. I couldn't stop myself from overloading at the scent of him so close, so warm, oh so snug. Since Brendan left, a feeling of anxiety started swelling in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was getting unbearably close to him finding out my "secret." I knew he had some kind of feelings for me, but I wasn't ready to accept my feelings for him. I just didn't know what to do; Love was a completely different world of emotions for me.

So I came to Wallace; Again.

Fortunately for him, it was about 9pm so I wouldn't be disturbing any beauty sleep this time. The door cracked open slowly and a freshly showered Wallace smiled at me as I was welcomed into his home.

"I'm not interrupting anything, right?" Wallace locked the door and made his way to the living room.

"Not at all, I was just reading some mail." He settled himself on the couch and crossed his legs. "What's up honey?" I knew he would ask. I flopped down on the seat next to him and sighed. It would be nice to just ignore any thoughts of Brendan for a while, they had been interfering with my life so much.

"Can't sleep." A thin teal eyebrow arched curiously.

"Hon, I know you well enough to see that there's something deeper to it." I blushed and squirmed deep into his plush couch. My muffled groans did not satisfy his curiosity, they only reinforced his skepticism.

"I don't know… I guess there's been a lot on my mind lately." Blue eyes softened and he pulled me close. I sighed against his shoulder as his thin fingers wove themselves into my hair; I curled up on the couch and leaned into his touch.

"Baby, you look like death. Whatever it is must be really gnawing at you…are you sure you don't want to talk about anything?" I didn't want to talk about Brendan; he'd been consuming all of my thoughts recently.

The second thing that came to mind was my father; _how would he take the news of my little identity discovery? How could I possibly tell him? Should I even tell him?_ I could feel a lump forming in my throat and I shivered at the thought. I eventually formed some words for my best friend.

"How did you come out to your parents?" It was quiet, I was scared to hear his response to how his parents handled it. His thumb rubbed my cheek and he combed my hair back with his fingers.

"I…I may not be the best person to talk to about that, dear." He was quiet as well. I felt as though I was crossing some sort of invisible, unspeakable boundary.

"I want to know." I felt Wallace sigh deeply as he shifted on the couch.

"I'll tell you…but I want you to know that my parents are an exception to most. I'm sure your father would love and support you regardless." I reached up and put my hand on his.

"Please." I could hear his heart beat pick up as he prepared himself. If I weren't so tired I'd assume mine would be rushing as well.

"I never formally 'came out' to my parents, they _found out_. We were still living in Kanto at the time, I was just a teenager…my parents were supposed to be gone for the weekend and I did something a little careless. To be short, my parents came home earlier than expected, found my boyfriend and I curled up in the living room and _snapped_. I got in a huge fight with my dad, my mom was horribly upset and they decided to kick me out. After that I moved to Hoenn and apprenticed with Juan as a Pokémon coordinator and trainer."

I could feel fear trickling through my veins as Wallace told me about his awful coming out story; it wasn't as though my parents could kick me out, but I couldn't stand to bring that kind of distraught to my family. My father may be quite a pain, but I still loved him…I couldn't bear to lose his love.

"Sweetie…don't let what happened to me keep you from telling your family. Things blew up so badly between my family and me because I _didn't_ tell them."

Truth be told, I was terrified. I couldn't even fathom the idea of telling my father I was gay. The thought of it chilled me to the bone. My hands were trembling slightly and my stomach was lying somewhere on the ground, or rather that's how it _felt_. I could have vomited, I felt awful. If it weren't for Wallace's compassionate caresses through my hair I probably would have vomited. A soft hand grabbed one of my shaky ones and squeezed it gently.

"You haven't talked about your Pokémon much at all lately. You're not giving up on that, are you?"  
Was he trying to make me feel better by changing the topic?

"No…I'm not, it's just been out of focus."

"What about your rock collection? I can't even remember the last time you came to me excited about a discovery." I just shrugged it off; it seemed like the only thing my soul had a passion for any longer was Brendan. Fingers twirling lightly in my hair, Wallace adjusted himself to look at my face. "Honey…you look ready to pass out…" I could still feel the anxiety twitching in my fingers though, I couldn't fall asleep. I closed my eyes and slid down to lay in his lap.

"Have you ever been in love, Wallace?" He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand almost like the way my mother used to when I was little.

"Once upon a time…"

"Does it get easier?" his long fingers pet my hair as he searched for an answer.

"I just can't say." I sighed deeply, feeling myself beginning to slip into sleep.

"I hope it does." His fingertips rubbed my jaw gently.

"So do I, Steven. I truly hope it does."

* * *

It's hard to describe the nostalgia I experienced when I woke up to the smell of pancakes. It brought me back to the days of whimsy and simplicity; it brought me back home with my family…when we were a family. I heard humming and the clinking of glass from the kitchen and stretched before rolling off the couch.

Wallace was setting a plate of pancakes on the table when I reached the kitchen. My lovely friend smiled up at me and pulled out a chair.

"Good morning honey, did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Absolutely, I'm glad to hear it. I decided to make pancakes for us because it was a little tough to get to the gym this morning. There's a terrible storm coming and the lake around the gym is very unsteady. I don't think I'll be getting any challengers today." I peered out the kitchen window, surprised to see a torrential downpour.

"That's odd." I sat down and took a serving of pancakes onto a plate, my stomach suddenly realizing its hunger. "It never rains around here." I happily accepted the warm pancake into my mouth as Wallace sat down next to me.

"That's exactly my concern. It _never_ rains here. I have this strange feeling that something is wrong."

"Well, out of the two of us you are the most acquainted with water and its habits; but I doubt that it's anything. It will probably pass in a few hours." I could tell that Wallace was still concerned, but he was trying to brush it off and enjoy his breakfast. I was almost certain that it was nothing to worry about. "On another topic, there has been something that I've been wondering about…I was hoping you could answer my question." I took another bite of his pancakes, which were quite delicious. I wasn't very sure how he would react to my question, or whether it was appropriate for our setting; for I am not very familiar with this topic.

"Sure honey, what is it?" He took a sip of his breakfast tea and I rubbed my chin somewhat uncomfortably.

"How do gay lovers have sex?" Wallace choked on his tea and reached for a napkin, coughing a fit. I must have surprised him or struck a nerve. _Good to know that sex is not a good breakfast conversation._ "Are you alright?" Wallace fought to compose himself and slouched over the table, still coughing a little.

"Steven what in the world…Are you telling me you don't know?" I took another bite of pancake and shrugged.

"I mean, how _would_ I know? In school all they ever taught us was how a man and a woman would do it…but two men certainly could not do it that way! I mean of course, unless they-"

"Alright, alright. Goodness, you didn't give me enough time to prepare myself for this one." Wallace chuckled a little. "Who would have ever imagined that I'd be the one giving you _the talk_." I suddenly was flooded by the memory of that awkward little conversation with my father as I entered teenager-hood. _That was certainly not what I was asking for. _There was nothing in the world that would make me want to relive _that_ talk.

"Oh please don't give me _the talk_! That was horrible. All I want to know is how two men would have intercourse." I noticed a faint hue to Wallace's cheeks. I took another bite of pancake.

"I understand, hon. First of all you know that men don't possess certain _parts_ that women have- so clearly it cannot be done that way. However…men have other parts that can be um, _entered._" I was slightly confused. I certainly didn't have any body parts that were meant to be"entered."

"You see, it may not have started out as the function but…it certainly does the job. And it's not completely awful." I was beginning to get impatient, taking another bite of pancake.

"That's enough beating around the bush. What do they use?" Wallace cupped a hand over his mouth and huffed.

"They use ones…um…well…their bottom." I was again confused.

"The bottom of their what?" Wallace looked frazzled.

"You know…their _bottom_."

"What ar-" it suddenly struck me, I felt light in the head. I finally understood what _bottom_ he was referring to, and the thought sent every ounce of blood in my body to my face. "Oh my goodness gracious." Wallace looked at me empathetically and nodded. "You're being serious? How could it possibly…so small…I can't."

"With enough preparation it works. It's uncomfortable at first, but it works nonetheless." I was befuddled. I couldn't even bring myself to eat more. Some things finally occurred to me then: That's what Brendan wanted to do with the champion. _That's what Brendan wanted to do with __me_. I felt lightheaded, I felt dizzy, and I felt slightly tingly. I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. Once I calmed myself down I looked up at Wallace and gaped.

"Have you ever…?" Wallace blushed and took a small sip of tea, speaking into the cup.

"I have." Again baffled, I wouldn't have ever imagined that my closest friend had…

"Was it enjoyable?" Where were these words _coming from_? I wanted to crawl up on the floor and let the embarrassment and sudden interest subside.

"Quite." Wallace took a little bite of pancake. I settled myself and folded my hands on the table, waiting for my heart to stop trying to jump out of my chest.

"Are you done with this conversation? Would you like me to stop? It seems like you would." Wallace sighed and looked at me pleadingly.

"I would like that very much." I no longer had an appetite to eat my breakfast; my mind was too busy going over this newly learned information.

"Honestly, who would have ever thought to stick-"

"Steven, that's enough. Isn't there anything else that you would like to talk about?" I chewed on my lip and propped my chin in the palm of my hand.

"I need a moon stone, but I'm not sure where to find one. Have any ideas?" Wallace chuckled softly and sipped his tea.

"That is one topic I know next to nothing about- aside from what you tell me…and the fact that you have managed to find enough water stones to supply me with one at each and every birthday." That was true. It was a slight challenge to find so many water stones, and required some serious digging, but letting Wallace know how much I valued our friendship was well worth it. "Now that you're in a chatty mood, what about your Pokémon? You've barely spoken a peep about them for a month. Is everything alright with them?"

If I were to be completely truthful with myself, it seemed as though the passion I once had for my Pokémon and their training faded when Brendan stepped into the picture. I'd hate to say it, but the teen became more of a priority. I felt like such a disappointment to my Pokémon. Would they ever forgive me for casting them aside for a fling?

"Well…I guess I've been a little too preoccupied to keep up with their training. I brought Skarmory and Aron with me, because he's a little baby and can't be left home alone." He certainly didn't like going in his ball though. Wallace nodded sympathetically as he finished his breakfast.

"I understand, you're welcome to let him out if you would like. He's never been much trouble here." I considered getting the little devil out of my coat in the other room, deciding it would be best if I took him out. He'd be less likely to throw a fit later if I let him out now.

As I got up to enter the den, the doorbell rang. I glanced back at the kitchen.

"Were you expecting company?" Wallace shuffled out of the kitchen and gave me a pleading look. "I'll take the dishes, you go answer the door." He smiled and hurried to the door.

I pulled the Pokéball quickly from my coat pocket and released my Aron on the way to the kitchen. He was chirping up a storm and trotting beside me as I began scrubbing the dishes in the sink. He nudged his hard little head against my leg persistently and kept crying out. I paused and bent down to pet him, when the little brat took off. He ran out towards the den, then most likely out the door. Panicked, I shut off the faucet and chased after him. He had just reached the door and pounced on the guest by the time I reached him; I was floored by what I found. Wallace looked surprised at my sudden appearance, and also concerned. I just couldn't believe the figure that had been haunting my thoughts day in and day out was again before me, soaked to the bone. He looked up from the jumping Aron and stared at me with wide ruby eyes.

"Steven? Why are you here?" I all but devoured his expression with my eyes. He looked frightened and shocked. I watched in longing as water dripped from his lovely hair.

"I could ask the same of you." Wallace put a hand on my shoulder.

"Brendan told me some things concerning the rain. We might have a big problem, Steven." Suddenly I was skeptical. It was just rain, what could be so problematic about it other than flooding.

"What's wrong? Do we need to fix something?" Brendan reached in his bag and dug around for something.

"Well you see, there's this orb I have and it's been glowing and fussing like crazy. Nobody will open their doors, even the Pokémon Center is locked up." Brendan pulled out a rather large dark blue sphere that was indeed glowing. Wallace's jaw dropped and I felt Goosebumps raise on my arms. I couldn't believe that Brendan, _my Brendan_, was in possession of the blue orb. Not only that, but the thing was reacting. Wallace pushed the orb back into Brendan's bag and took him by the wrist, rushing out the door.

"Oh honey, you need to come with me. This is worse than I feared." Brendan looked stunned, but followed Wallace obediently. I crammed my feet into my shoes and rushed after them, shutting Aron in the house.  
Was Wallace really going to send Brendan where I thought they were going? _Oh goodness I really hope this isn't what's happening._ We wove through the small city in the pouring rain, led by my eccentric friend. I was fighting a never ending battle against myself to _not touch Brendan_.

"Wait, what's happening? Where are we going?" Wallace kept on at a steady pace, thin clothes already fixed to his body with water.

"I'm taking you to the Cave of Origin." I grabbed Wallace by the shoulder.

"Wait a minute Wallace, don't you think this is a little rash? I mean he's just a child! Are you really going to send him in there?" He kept rushing to the cave.

"Steven, you know as well as I do that only the orb holder is permitted in the cave during a crisis such as this! Neither you nor I possess the orb, so we _cannot_ go in. I'm the guardian of the cave; I know what needs to be done. Don't be foolish." I felt a tremor of fear hit me.

"But Wallace-" Brendan looked up at me indignantly.

"Stop it, I'm not a kid! I think I can handle this! Would you just leave me alone?" The words were like a slap in the face. I was just scared for his safety. If anything happened to him I wouldn't be able to handle it. Wallace took him down a flight of stairs and approached the entrance to the Cave of Origin. The usual guard blocking the entrance had disappeared, and all that remained between us and the entrance was the pathway of stone. Wallace took Brendan from behind by the shoulders and pushed him towards the entrance.

"We don't have much time. We need you to be brave and go deep into the cave and face what lies in the depths. You're our only hope." Wallace's hands were shaking. I could tell he was terrified. Brendan looked back at me with a peculiar look in his eyes. My breath hitched as we made eye contact. Before I knew it he was breaking free of Wallace's hands and running at me. Afraid of being hit, I flinched but was stunned when I felt his warm arms flung around my ribcage. He quickly stood on his toes and whispered in my ear.

"Don't worry. I'll be safe." then took off into the cave. I hadn't realized how badly I had been trembling until he left. My entire body was quaking as if someone used magnitude 8 on me. Wallace walked over and wrapped me in a tight hug. My legs gave out and I collapsed against him.

"I didn't want to do that Steven…there was nothing else I could…I just…" His hands were still shivering as they ran through my soaked hair. My fingers clutched themselves into the back of his shirt so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"I'm scared Wallace…I'm so scared." Images of the worst possible scenario bombarded me and I slid to the wet ground. He sat beside me and grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly. I couldn't bear with the thought that Brendan might not come back out of that cave. There was nothing I could do.

"Honey, everything will turn out. He seems strong, he'll pull through." I was still trembling and the cold, pouring rain didn't do much to stop it. Wallace rested his head against my shoulder. "He was very lovely, wasn't he?" I continued shaking, but nodded. Brendan was indeed the loveliest person I've ever known.

The only thing we could do at this point was to sit in the hammering rain and wait for his return.

* * *

_Hope you all enjoyed it, _

_If you did like it and want more, make sure to leave a little something in the review box as motivation :D_

_Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review, I'm in it for you guys. _

_Happy 2012 everyone!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Hello again beautiful viewers~  
__Here's my Valentines gift to you- another chapter_

_And be warned...this one is 'M' for a reason ;)_

_Happy Valentines day!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: I Gotta Get Out of Here!**

One hour and twenty thee minutes.

My life was nothing but cold rain and desolation for almost an hour and a half before we finally went back to Wallace's home. I felt desperate, scared and ready to collapse. He just held my hand tightly as we speechlessly made our way through the flooded walkways.

I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw myself to the ground and sob dreadfully. I couldn't even bring myself to think straight, I was choking on an object lodged in my throat that was impossible to remove. Worst of all was the pain in my chest. My heart was burning and throbbing in such a way that I thought it was about to explode.

When we entered the house we both stood in the doorway quietly, creating puddles on his clean floor. Wallace was still squeezing my hand tightly. Before closing the door he stared longingly at the cave entrance, waiting, hoping. I mechanically slipped out of my shoes and coat; it was somewhat difficult with how badly I was shaking. The room began to spin slowly. I grabbed Wallace's wrist in an attempt to gain my balance and reached out for the wall as my world faded.

I opened my eyes soon after to find myself on the floor with my head in Wallace's lap. He was rubbing my face gently and watching me closely. I just closed my eyes again and tried to calm my breathing.

It wasn't as if I wanted to leave the boy in the cave. After half an hour I even tried to go in after him. The blasted cave would not permit me to enter; it was as if some force field kept it locked tightly. I wanted to run into the cave and carry Brendan out. Safe, warm, beautiful Brendan. I had no way of knowing if he was even… I couldn't even think it.

Wallace huddled over and cradled my head, he was shaking slightly.

"He's ok Steven, he's ok. Nothing could have happened. He's ok." He was on the verge of tears and swallowing down sobs. "I didn't want to send him in! This is my fault!" He wailed. I sat up and hugged him shakily. I probably would have said something if my mouth could have formed words. I closed my eyes and began to pretend that the warm body in my arms was Brendan, that he wasn't facing some unknown danger and he was here; in my embrace and out of harm's way. When I opened my eyes again I was left with reality. I pulled away from Wallace when I heard a ringing from my cellphone in the other room. Wallace glanced up at me and motioned for me to go get it.

I had small flare of hope that it was Brendan calling me as I dug for my phone. I was shaky with anticipation as I flipped open the lid to receive the call; disappointed to find that it was merely my father.

"Hello."

"Steven! I've been trying to get ahold of you for an hour! Where have you been? I need you to come to Rustburo quickly!" I frowned at the prospect. I certainly didn't want to go deal with my father at the moment, but as I thought about it I realized that it may do me some good. Maybe getting away from this was exactly what I needed. I could go deal with whatever insipid problem he had to deal with and escape from the stressful problem here. As my father continued to babble and I thought over the plan, my Aron wobbled into the room and began to nuzzle my leg.

"Ok dad, whatever it is I'll be there soon. Goodbye." I flipped my phone closed and rubbed my Aron's head. Wallace appeared in the doorway, combing back his wet hair.

"Who was it?" his voice was tired. I glanced back at him, I felt guilty leaving him. He was distraught over the situation as well. Would it be right of me to leave at a time like this?

"It was my father. He needs me…" Wallace gave me a small smile and walked over to stroke my hair.

"Go to him. He's your family." I stood up and withdrew my Aron and wrapping my friend in a hug.

"Thanks, it's probably for the best." I didn't care what my dad wanted, but somewhere deep inside me I yearned to be with him in this time of distress.

Before I left he kissed my forehead lightly in his motherly way and smiled.

"Don't worry honey. I'll keep a super close look out for him. Everything will be just fine." I gave a strained smile and began my rainy trek to Rustburo to be with my dad.

* * *

I felt slightly out of place walking into the pristine Devon Cooperation looking like I had just taken a swim- in my clothing. It was almost as soon as I walked to the stairs that my father raced down them and greeted me.

"Son, what took you so long? The weather must be awful you're drenched. Come on up to my office and dry off a bit. We need to chat." He peeled off up the staircase again as I slogged behind him. As much as I didn't want to be in Sootopolis, this suddenly didn't feel like much of an upgrade. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." I gave no more than a grunt. "As it seems your job is moving along rather slowly these days…" Slowly? I mean there weren't trainers lined up at the front door, but I'd call it stable.

"I guess you could say that." We marched through the offices of many employers as he continued his banter.

"Well son, I have a proposition for you that I really hope you'll consider." My brow furrowed and I slicked my bangs back out of my face.

"Keep talking." Those are two words I didn't expect to ever say to my father.

He opened the door to his spacious office and closed it behind us. I flinched when he put a meaty hand on my shoulder and stared me firmly in the eye.

"I'm not getting any younger, Steven. Retirement is in my near future. I was really hoping that I could rely on you to take up the company once that time comes." I felt my jaw hit the floor. "Mind you that my business is the largest one in the entire region. People would be lost without it."

I always knew that my dad would have to pass on the business one day, but I didn't really think that he'd give it to _me. _He only gave me the dirtiest, most painstaking jobs he could find. I expected him to give it to one of his cooperate lackeys.

"Uh…I mean, wow. I didn't think…" He had a stern but hopeful look on his face. I just smiled meekly and shrugged a shoulder. "I'll have to really think about it." He gave a bellowing chuckle and crushed me in a hug.

"At's my boy! I knew I could count on you!" _The family business now relied solely on me; talk about pressure._

"No promises. I really have to think this over." He chuckled again and patted my shoulder.

"Right, right- Oh! What's this?" he leaned in closer to examine my neck.

"What's what?" I slapped a hand to my neck and felt around blindly.

"Is this a _hickey_? Since when did you have a girlfriend?" My stomach dropped to the floor like lead. I was mortified. Brendan had left a _hickey_ on my neck? How did I not notice? Why didn't Wallace say anything about it?

"N-No! It's n- I don't have a…"

"What's her name, son? When do I get to meet her? What 'bout grandchildren, are they in the picture?" _Oh goodness grandchildren were far __out__ of this picture._

"I don't have a girlfriend, dad! It-it's not what you think!" I covered my neck with a hand, blushing furiously. _Of all the shitty times for this to happen_…

"If it's not a girlfriend…what is it? Some wild affair with a random woman?"

"No way! Absolutely not!" My face was ablaze.

"Steven! You didn't buy a…"

"Dad would you stop! I would never do something like that!" He folded his arms, seeming less amused at this point.

"If none of those are the case, then explain yourself." I wasn't ready to tell him. I wasn't even ready to accept it myself yet. _There's no way I can hide it though, I don't want things to end badly by lying._

"if…if I tell you, will you still accept me as your son?" He looked baffled.

"You'll always be my son, Steven. What's the matter?" I lowered my hand from my neck and shoved my hands into my jean pockets.

"It…wasn't a woman." I couldn't look at him. keeping my eyes on my shoes, and tried to stand tall.

"…A man?" I took a deep breath and nodded once. Because my eyes were glued to the ground, I didn't see his reaction but I heard a loud sigh.

"You're telling me that…you're gay?" I shrunk down at the words. He obviously wasn't _happy_, to say the least.

"I…I think so." Another loud sigh as he began to pace, I held my tongue.

"How did this happen?"

_clump clump clump _

"I mean I knew you were never interested in girls…but _boys?_"

_clump clump clump_

"Where do I even begin? How do I respond?"

_clump clump clump _

"I guess this means no grandchildren. Why didn't you tell me?"

_clump clump clump_

"where did I _go wrong_?"

My heart was throbbing along with the clumps of his feet. I felt sick and wretched. Now my own father didn't accept me and the person who started this may not even be alive. I wanted to curl up and die, to just disappear for good.

"Look, I need to go." I swallowed a lump in my throat and darted for the door. I ran out of the building as fast as I could, not caring what anyone said or thought.

I just needed to get away. To get away from my dad, to get away from anything Brendan, to get away from work…

That would solve everything. I just needed to go away.

* * *

I can't explain how awesome it felt to step out into the warm sunny air again. It was just so cool. After being stuck in that hell hole of a cave for the past week, this sudden environment change was greatly appreciated.

I set down my belongings and took a deep breath of clean air while stretching my arms to the sun. I was so excited, I could have burst into a dance- but I didn't of course. It was great to have the warm air in my lungs once again rather than the damp, cold, musty air of the cave. I knew I had the stupidest grin on my face as I admired the beauty of the sky and sun around me as if I had forgotten what the sun even looked like. After I was acclimated to fresh air and sun again, I pulled on my bag and stared determinedly at the grandiose building before me. My skin broke out in goose bumps as I anticipated what waited ahead of me in that giant building.

After years of training and months of traveling I would finally fight to win over my prize- my beloved Pokémon Champion.

With my fairly new Kyogre on my team there would be no stopping us from reaching that marvelous man. As my hopes were raised, my feet took off towards the giant Pokémon League.

After bursting through the doors I just gawked at the giant Pokémon center and mart that I was standing in. The back of the large room was adorned with a great opening that was being blocked by two guards. I just grinned and brought my Pokémon up to the receptionist at the PC counter. As the receptionist smiled politely and healed my team she shot me a sorry look and bowed.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience sir, but the Champion is not in today. I'm afraid you'll have to postpone your league challenge." I felt my stomach churn.  
"Postpone it? I'm not going to be young forever! I need to get to him soon so that…so that…" I blushed at my outburst and nodded slightly. "Do you have any spare rooms that I can stay in while I wait for him to show up?" she returned my Pokémon to me and bowed.

"Of course sir, would you like to settle into a room now?" All of a sudden, I was acutely aware of how sore my feet were from the hike through Victory Road.

"That would be great, thanks."

"Right this way, sir." The receptionist began to lead me through a series of hallways until we reached a row of doors that were evenly spaced and numbered. She opened the door to a room 200 and smiled.

"There should be everything you need in her. We like to have lights off by 11 pm if that's alright." I stepped into the clean room and grinned at the woman.

"That's fine. By the way…do you have any idea how long the challenges will be postponed?" She looked troubled and fingered at the hem of her skirt.

"From what I understand no one has been able to contact Mr. Stone for quite some time. I can't say."

"You mean Steven? What about him?" I placed my belongings on the neatly made full bed.

"Steven Stone has gone missing, without him there would be no point in challenging the Elite." I thought about what I was hearing for a moment. Was Steven Elite? That couldn't be true! I knew the Elite Four like the back of my hand! Sidney the dark trainer, Phoebe the ghost trainer, Glacia the ice trainer, and Drake the dragon master. That was four…right?

"What does Steven have to do with the Elite Four? Is he a new member?" The woman giggled slightly and shook her head.

"No, sir. Mr. Stone is the Pokémon Champion, everyone knows that!" _What did she just say?_

"Are…are we talking about the same Steven Stone? Silver hair, blue eyes, has a weird table thing in his living room?"

"There is only one that I know of sir." I felt my blood run cold. _What the hell?_ "But as I said, he has gone missing. Do you know anything of his whereabouts?" my tongue was numb, I couldn't form words. We couldn't be talking about the same Steven.

I could only shake my head in response. "Well sir, if you need anything at all- please do not hesitate to come find me or anyone else to assist you." She bowed and turned to leave. I managed to squeak out a quiet 'thanks' as she left.

Once the door was locked and secured in place I threw myself against the bed, allowing my mind to go Aipom wild. My heart was pounding in my ears as I chewed over the thought again and again. _Steven Stone is the Champion. Steven Stone is…the Champion!_ I grunted and buried my face in a pillow to smother my excitement. I couldn't believe it, the man that I've been crooning over for the past 4 years has been right in front of me for so long and _I had no idea!_

_How could he not have said anything? Did he really not want me to know? If he knew I wanted him so badly…as Steven and as the Champion…why didn't he tell me?_

I quickly repressed those thoughts with my memories of him; memories of his hands exploring my skin and tongue eagerly invading my mouth. _I made it to second base with the Champion!_ My heart was pounding heavily again, pulsing blood all over my body and making me feel _hot_.

I tried to remember the way his calloused fingers felt caressing my face, how they felt exploring my bare neck and tugging at my hair. Hurriedly I jerked off my hat and shirt and ran my gloved hands along my stomach, teasing at my hipbones. I closed my eyes tightly and tugged at the waist of my pants, fumbling with the belt. I panted as I recalled the taste of Steven's hot tongue in my mouth, our lips locked in a heated, Sitrus-berry-flavored dance. Shoving my pants to my knees and yanking of my gloves I began to rub my swelling length furiously while imagining the force that Steven, _the Champion_, could easily overpower me with. In seconds I felt close to losing it so I scrambled to my bag to find a small bottle of Pecha Berry scented hand lotion.

With a small dollop of pink goo on my hand, I rocked back on the bed and applied the lotion to my tense hole. A small gasp escaped my lips as the cold liquid met my heated skin. My teeth clenched as I furthered the preparation, coating my index finger and gently guiding it into my ass. When I wiggled the finger inside I started yearning for something thicker, so I coaxed another coated finger in with the other one. I could feel my hand as it trailed its way down my throbbing member to rub its thumb along the seam of my testes and slide to the head of my erection. A whimper escaped my throat as I imagined Steven's thick, rough fingers inside me rather than my own small ones. I squeezed roughly at my cock, pumping it in rhythm of my now-thrusting fingers. I jammed a third finger into my hole, barely containing my voice as a nail brushed my special bundle of nerves inside.

Gripping my member tightly, I panted and dug eagerly to find that glorious spot again. My entire body spasmed and arched as I prodded my prostate with all three fingers. I was floating on cloud nine, picturing all of the naughty things that Steven was going to do to me.

_His hands were squeezing my ass as he rammed his thick cock inside my little body. I was filled with him to the hilt as his hips rocked hard against me. I was sprawled and moaning beneath him while that hot tongue trailed along my skin. I tried to gain more friction and began grinding my throbbing member against his pelvis, digging my nails into his back. I was whimpering against his ear, his body now thrusting into mine at a crushing rate. I cried out in pure bliss slamming myself down to meet each of his wonderful thrusts._

I was riding the fingers buried deep inside me, pumping my erection feverishly. Almost every thrust onto the fingers met those sweet nerves inside me; causing me to see stars and whimper each time. I clenched my eyes and pictured Steven's hot cock stuffing me instead, pounding deep inside me and jabbing my prostate as I freely cried out and moaned into his neck, his teeth clamped into my skin as his warm, sticky seed filled me.

I rammed the nerves one last time as I met my blissful release, milking myself onto my stomach with a muffled, wanton mewl. With reluctance I withdrew my fingers and sprawled out on the bed. My blood was roaring in my ears as I gasped for air. I still couldn't believe that _my_ Steven was the Champion.

_My handsome, talented, kind, quirky, sexy Steven- who was probably hung. _I shuddered at the latter. _Not only was my Steven so wonderful…but he was the Champion!_

He was my Champion and he would ravish me like he did in my wildest dreams-

_That is when I find him._

* * *

_So...Steven's kind of a wreck at the end of this...and Brendan's kind of a slut. Pretty much c:_

_I mean what goes better with your clearance chocolate than Brendan smut? (Nothing.)_

_I'd like to make the next chapter a meaty one, so leave me some lovely reviews to keep encouraging me to work on it.  
__If all goes as planned I should have another chapter up by early next month!_

_Hope you all enjoyed it, and remind me that you guys want more! :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Welcome back readers!  
__As anticipated here is the new chapter  
__Hopefully this chapter will answer many questions you've been having ;D_

_This chapter will also give you a better look inside Brendan's angsty, hormonal, teenage mind.  
- enjoy~_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Steven did _what_?**

I never would have guessed that after all of my backbreaking work to make my way to Ever Grande City, I would be so quick to fly back to Sootopolis. Hell, I'd just gotten out of that sunken city.

Regardless, I found myself hauling my team back to the doorstep of the famous water gym leader…again. I had no choice; I was at a dead end. I wanted to get my hands on Steven and the only person I knew of that would be able to find him was Wallace. I have to admit that it was a little punch to my pride that I had to crawl at the feet of this guy to find Steven, but I really had no hope of finding him on my own.

Besides, from what I've seen Wallace looked like competition. He was so close to Steven, they've known each other forever. When I last spoke to Wallace after our gym battle he was so protective of Steven…_They've probably already done it. _

I crossed my arms at the thought and almost high-tailed it back to Ever-Grande to wait it out; but I couldn't wait for him anymore. I needed Steven soon.

With every fiber of strength in my body I swallowed my pride and re-approached the small adobe home to rap on the door. _At least he was really nice. He wouldn't be pissed off at me for coming to him. He seemed like a sweet guy…_

I could hear a muffled voice coming from inside the house and then the door flung open. Wallace was standing there- _or what sort of looked like Wallace- _with a deflated look on his face. The face staring down at me was white as a Silcoon and looked deadly tired. I could barely even recognize the man with knotted hair and deep purple bags under his somewhat-bloodshot eyes. I suddenly was ashamed of any envy I had previously felt for this man. He looked…_awful._

"_Brendan_? What in Arceus' name are you doing here?" It was weird seeing the previously elegant man so disheveled in capris and a baggy shirt. I looked away from the pitiful man and grabbed my shirt hem tightly.

"I need help finding Steven." I could hear the man laugh tiredly as he ushered me into his home.

"So do the rest of us... you're more than welcome to join the search." I kicked off my sneakers and followed him into the living room, where he collapsed on the couch. The poor guy looked like he hadn't slept in days. _He probably hadn't._

"Is…is there…" I looked around his pristine house in a moment of distraction. The lightly colored room was decorated in a sea-like theme, with shell lamps and sand adorned candles. I knelt by the sofa where Wallace slumped. "What can I do to help?"

His tired blue eyes met mine; I could see a sparkle of surprise in them as he reached out and patted my head.

"You're sweet, dear. I don't need to burden you with-"

"Anything." I urged. This man was obviously working himself to the bone to find the person I held dear. If there was anything I could do to make his load lighter I would do it. He smiled lightly and quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Do you know how to brew tea?"

"Would you like me to?" I hopped up quickly, not very pleased when he chuckled at me.

"Well, I have a tea set on the counter in the kitchen. There is a jar of Chamomile…which would be lovely." He looked up at me so tenderly; it was hard to believe I barely knew the man. _His eyes are so pale_. I just nodded enthusiastically and headed off to where the kitchen seemed to be.

Fortunately his tidy kitchen was easy to find. Like he said there was a fine tea set out complete with cups and saucers. After setting the pot aside to boil I noticed a mess of papers heaped on his kitchen table. There were books and maps shuffled everywhere. I sat at the wooden table and picked up some papers to examine. I didn't mean to be so nosy, but I came here with so many questions that were still unanswered.

The papers in my hands were maps of caves and towns of Hoenn, but not only Hoenn. One looked like a foreign region like Kanto or Johto, which I had only heard about briefly during school. _Was it possible that Steven went to one of these regions?_ I felt my stomach churn at the thought. If Steven was off hiding in an unknown region we might never find him.

_Ugh! Why didn't he just tell me up front that he was the Champion? Was he just toying with me because I'm younger? What the hell, I'm not a fucking toy. _

I glared at the papers on the table, as if it were their fault that my Steven ran off; my thoughts cut off by the screeching teapot. I almost jumped out of my skin at the whistle, but I had to admit that the tea was a convenient distraction from anything concerning Steven leaving Hoenn.

With the grace of a Muk I prepared the Chamomile that Wallace requested. I had only made tea a handful of times before and the last thing I wanted to do was break the man's pretty china…_even if he was a love rival. _I slowly brought the tray into the living room and set it down on the table, which I'm proud to say went smoothly and unbroken-ly.

When I looked up at Wallace, who was curled up on the couch, he smiled so kindly towards me.

"You're darling…thank you so much. I don't think I could have done that without some disaster happening." He reached out a shaky hand and cupped the china close, breathing in the steam. I settled myself on the floor across from him and sipped my own tea.

"So…how long has Steven been gone?" Wallace's pale eyes closed and he sighed.

"The day that you went into the Cave of Origin, he went to talk to his father. From what Mr. Stone told me, they had gotten in a bit of a spat and then he just…disappeared." He fingered at his cup nervously staring into the brown liquid.

_Was I part of the reason he left? I know Wallace was really freaked out that day…_

"Does he do this a lot?" Wallace glanced up at me and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Only once did he run away longer than this…it's been over 3 weeks now." He leaned forward and hushed his voice as if he were telling me a secret "He went missing for two whole months when his mother passed." _I can't imagine how awful it is to have your mother die, but two months in isolation? _

"Where did you find him?"

"I didn't, he just came back on his own. Later he told me that he was creating his own passages in the Shoal Cave. With the constant tide changes there no one could have found him anyway."

"Do you think he's there again?" Wallace shook his head and finished the last of his tea, setting the cup aside.

"Unfortunately no, it's very unlike Steven to return to a cave that he's already spent so much time in." He brightened up a bit. "Oh, and thank you again for the tea. Steven's chosen such a sweet boy. I'm happy for the two of you."

_Why was he glad? Wasn't he pursuing Steven too? _I felt a little discouraged at the thought. _If Steven really was considering Wallace, I wouldn't stand a chance. _

"Aren't you a thing with Steven though?"

"Pardon?"

"Like…aren't you guys a couple or something?" Wallace looked confused and surprised. Suddenly he broke out laughing and leaned over the table to pat the side of my head. Normally I'd be offended that someone kept treating me like a little kid, but with Wallace I didn't mind too much.

"Oh honey, you have got such a wrong impression. Steven and I have never cared for each other _that _way." I placed my tea on the table. _Really? But they are so close! _

"But aren't you gay too?" Wallace raised an eyebrow at me and crossed his legs.

"Hon, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I want a relationship with every guy in my life. Steven's always been like a much younger sibling to me." He combed back his hair, trying to make his waves lay neatly against his head. "Besides, I only like older men."

It was like someone lifted a giant weight off of my chest. _If I didn't have Wallace as competition no one could get in my way of Steven! _A faint echo in the back of my mind reminded me that I'd have to find the man first, but that wasn't going to bring me down. I was psyched.

"Are there any other cute boys like me trying to get their hands on Steven too?" Wallace looked beyond amused.

"Brendan, I can assure you wholeheartedly that _no one_ but you stands a chance with Steven. You've got him smitten." My heart fluttered at the thought. I was so excited about all of this I thought that my heart was going to take off out of my chest and float away, but then I remembered a bleak detail about Steven.

"If he's so smitten, why the hell didn't he tell me that he was the Champion?" How could I forget all of the crap I had to go through because he didn't tell me? _What the hell was that about?_ Wallace looked at me with soft eyes, smoothing his hand along the other.

"I did talk to him about that. You have to understand something about Steven. When it comes to a topic he knows nothing about, he tends to shy away from it. He fears the unknown- or rather what is unknown to _him_. He was worried that you would reject him if you knew." _Reject him? Why the heck would I do that?_

"Obviously I'd find out sooner or later." _Why couldn't it have been sooner? I wanted him so badly._

"He was being a coward. I'm glad that you chose not to reject him though." It was nice to have the man to chat with; although he was exhausted he had such a calming presence about him.

"What about you? Is there anyone you like that way?" Wallace's smile faded and his eyes began to look distant and glassy.

"There was…" he sighed sadly. "He passed away. I still love him so much though." I felt kind of awful for asking. How could I have accused him of loving Steven when he was really mourning the loss of his lover? _I feel like a jerk…_

"Wow, I'm so sorry. Was it recently?" He smiled sadly and shook his head.

"No, it was about two years ago. His name was Juan…have you heard of him? He was the handsome French man that used to run my gym." I thought back to important meetings with people that I had attended with my father. I did remember a man with peppered hair and a French accent, his name might have been Juan…it had been a long time since I'd seen the man though.

"You know, before Steven was the Champion it was Juan. He was a flawless trainer and coordinator. Everything I know is thanks to him." Wallace curled his legs up onto the couch. "Pancreatic Cancer took him away from me. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him…tu me manques mon chéri." Honestly, I wasn't surprised that Wallace knew French; especially since his lover had been French. I didn't need to know what he said to understand how much he loved and missed Juan.

"That's so sad…" I stood up from the floor and walked over to the exhausted, mournful man. I sat next to him on the couch and wrapped him in the tightest Ursaring hug I could give him. He leaned into the hug and sniffled. I knew there wasn't much I could do to make him feel better, but a hug wouldn't do anything _but_ help. Wallace rested his head on my shoulder and rubbed my arm.

"Thank you, honey. I'm glad that Steven's fallen for such a compassionate young man." He smiled up at me and pinched my cheek. "And you're so cute as well!" I rubbed my sore cheek and sat back on the couch.

"Not to change the topic to suddenly…but did he really fall for me? Am I really his type?" Wallace settled in the plush cushions on the couch and chuckled, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, the man _has_ fallen for you, but up until now I wasn't so sure he even _had_ a type…other than Steel. His love life has always been an enigma."

"How long have you known him?" He yawned and rubbed his eye gently, scratching at his still-messy hair.

"I met Steven when he was a little younger than you. I was busy training with Juan for Pokémon Contests and he attended one of my shows. He was so enthused; he found me after the competition and bombarded me with questions. He used to be such an energetic child."

I couldn't even picture Steven younger than me. The only Steven I knew, _the only one I really wanted to know_, was the incredibly hot, buff, and sexy one. I tried to mask the chill that shook my body at the thought.

"That's right, you're supposed to be like…the best coordinator out there, right?" Wallace blushed a little and smiled shyly.

"Not really, I just train very hard with my Pokémon. Juan helped us to master the art of competing."

"I've always admired coordinators. I entered a few amateur contests along my journey, but I was kind of on a mission to find the champion."

"Now you've found him. You have plenty of time to pursue that dream now." He curled up and sighed. "If you'd like I could assist you with tips and training some time."

"Really? That would be the coolest!" I watched his eyes droop while he fought to keep them open.

I had almost forgotten how worried this man was over Steven. Of course I was worried, but I probably was just taking his safety for granted. _ If anything _did_ happen to Steven I'd be crushed. He was the only person I ever wanted to hold me. _ From the looks of things it wasn't going to get easy very soon; he might as well catch up on sleep.

"You know Wallace…if you want to sleep that's alright with me. I can go home or-" He waved his hand dismissingly.

"Oh you don't have to do that." He fought back a yawn and sighed. "Would it be asking too much to ask you to stay and watch the phone and door? I've been too scared to fall asleep and miss something important. I know there are dozens of search teams looking for him right now- goodness every cop in the region is looking for the man. But if he decides to come to anyone I know it will be me…and I have to be…there." His eyes slipped closed with a sigh and his breathing grew deep.

I think that coming to Wallace for help to find Steven may have been a really good idea. No one knew Steven better, and I really, _really_, wanted Steven. Because the man was so motherly and kind to me, I felt awful about my previous jealousy. I could only guess that since Steven's own mother died Wallace decided to step in and fill that role the best he could.

The polished, pretty man looked so wrecked over the disappearance of his best friend. Even though I didn't know him well, it seemed very out of character of him to let himself go unkempt and without sleep. I never had such a strong relationship with anyone the way that Wallace and Steven had. Seeing how the two cared for each other made something deep in my chest itch for whatever it was they had-and more. I wanted to be Steven's crutch and his lover. I didn't just want him to bend me over and drive me wild- _don't get me wrong, I wanted that so very much_- but I wanted to have a close loving relationship with him. I wanted to love that man. _I wanted him to love me_.

I smiled at Wallace and stood up to examine the room. I wanted to get a closer look at his ribbons first. In the frame hanging he had what had to be more than 40 ribbons displayed neatly. There were blue ribbons, green ribbons, red, orange, yellow, purple, silver, and rainbow ribbons. There was practically any color and design of contest ribbon you could imagine hanging in his frame. On a shelf beside the frame sat a few frames of contest photos. In most, Wallace and his Pokémon were together proudly with giant trophies and flowers. One particular photo caught my eye.

In one frame I found Wallace standing beside a neatly trimmed gentleman who had his arm around Wallace's waist. I picked up the frame to get a closer look. Wallace was holding a large bouquet of roses and looking up admiringly at the man. The man with streaked hair and a small pencil moustache was donned in elegant clothing, much like Wallace's, and clutching him at the hip. I knew without a fraction of a doubt that this man was Juan.

I carefully put the photo back among the others and continued looking around the room. He had a photo organizer up on another wall. With closer examination, I found pictures of Wallace and acquaintances of all sorts. There were a few more photos of him and Juan, one of the two holding hands on a beach, one of Juan laughing with cake icing on his face, and another of them with their foreheads pressed together. It was very bittersweet to see the love of these two people that were torn apart. I noticed a familiar face in a few more photos. Steven was in multiple photos as well, I finally got a glimpse of him at a younger age. My favorite photo was of him clinging onto the back of a Steelix, looking terrified out of his mind. One of the photos of Steven fishing with Juan gave me a much appreciated look at the man's well-toned upper body.

I don't think that my prior expectations of the Champion, physically and through his personality, could have been better met than with a man like Steven. Even though he made stupid rash decisions, _like running away to play treasure hunter in a big cave,_ Steven was everything I ever wanted in a man. He was not only intelligent and powerful, but he was compassionate and _so fucking sexy_. I was admittedly pissed that he had the nerve to run away from me when I was _so_ close to having him in my embrace, but I knew I would quickly forgive him for all of the drama and crap that he put me through once I got him in bed. And even though he was stupid for ever thinking that I would reject him, I knew that his sweet kisses would make up for everything.

I sighed like a love-struck schoolgirl and continued to wander around Wallace's house and appreciate the small details he put into every decoration. I liked how in one display cabinet he had an assortment of corals of every color, and water stones. There were so many water stones he must not have known what to do with them all. Regardless of the quantity, Wallace still managed to make them look polished and neatly arranged. Wallace clearly had the finest eye for his decorating style; it seemed very suiting for the stylish man.

Once I made my way back to the kitchen, I sat down at the table and started to sift through his papers once again. On each map, Hoenn, Kanto, Johto and Sinnoh he had every cave and tunnel highlighted and coded. He clearly had tracking down Steven to a system. While looking at the countless caves, I started to worry that we would never find Steven. There were so many places that Steven could have been that the possibility of us finding the right one was so slim. I had just found out that Steven was the man of my dreams and I needed to show him how much I wanted him, but now it was starting to look like I would never get the opportunity.

I flashed back to when I first met Steven in the Dewford cave. I never expected the man that I was delivering Mr. Stone's letter to would be so charming and attractive. He was so flustered when I found him that he could barely talk- it was adorable. And the next time I found him collapsed in the middle of the road...I was so scared. I had never come across anyone unconscious before, and he was so handsome. I probably didn't leave the best impression on our first meeting, so that time I planned to leave a good one. I remember just how peaceful he looked laying there, but his defensive Pokémon kept me on my toes. Then that night at Fortree…where he first kissed me. I felt like my journey with my team had come to an end, but Steven tried to cheer me up and helped me, _and kissed me_. He _wanted_ me. it was like that day he was trying to communicate to me that he was the champion. And then the day I fought against Maxie I got a glimpse at Steven's powerful side before I passed out. He was so protective of me; _he really must care about me_.

All of these memories I had of him made me remember that I loved the Champion- no. I loved _Steven_. I finally came to terms with my love for Steven…and I may not even see him again. I felt tears begin to leak from my eyes and fall onto the maps beneath me. At this rate Steven would never know how I felt about him and I would never see his handsome face again. I tried my hardest to fight back my tears and look forward to when I would see him again. Steven had to be fine; he knew what he was doing. If there was one person who knew his way around a dark cave, it had to be him.

I had time plenty of time to kill while Wallace slept, so I pulled out my Pokénav and switched on the radio. Instead of being greeted by music I was met with a news broadcast.

"And we would ask that anyone with information regarding the man's disappearance would contact authorities _immediately_. Again, Mr. Stone is approximately 183 cm tall, has silver hair and is 22 years of age. This man would be expected in cave-like areas and has been missing for 3 weeks. Please-" I switched off the radio and stared at my contact list. I didn't want to hear about Steven's absence anymore.

_Twenty two years old though…He wasn't as old as I thought he was. That made it only a five year age difference._ I felt a slight twinge of guilt for always calling him an old man, but not _much_ guilt. I chuckled and stared at Steven's name in my contacts. I knew that if I called him there would be no answer, so I slid the Pokénav back into my pocket with a sigh and stood up. I remembered a bookshelf in the living room that could help me kill some time.

When going back into the room I found Wallace sprawled out on the couch with one foot on the floor, his mouth was hanging open and a few light snores escaped him. Even though the man was a lot older and exhausted to death, he still looked pretty cute. I grabbed the Afghan draped over the back of the couch and tucked the sleeping man in. On the bookshelf I found an assortment of Pokémon contest training manuals. With a glance back at the sleeping man on the couch, I grabbed a thick book off of the shelf. _This ought to kill some time._

* * *

_A trainer must spend rigorous hours perfecting each move-set with their Pokémon. The Pokémon is not naturally equipped with the perfection of any given move to the standards of contest judges. Only through many trials of the moves will the Pokémon reach its full potential. While working with said Pokémon, it is very important to keep in-_

Wallace groaned loudly and sprung up in a sitting position, nearly causing me to piss myself. I dropped the book I was reading onto the floor and clutched my convulsing heart, staring at Wallace wide-eyed. The exhausted man had been asleep about 3 hours and finally jolted awake with a bang.

Wallace was now wide awake and gaping at me.

"Brendan! Oh my goodness gracious, you've been here waiting while I slept! I'm so, so sorry. I just-"

"It's fine Wallace, you just scared the shit out of me." He covered his face with his hands and swung his legs over the couch.

"I'm sorry it wasn't intentional. Good lord, how long have I been out? You must have been bored to death. Are you hungry?" He stood up and picked up the book I dropped, handing it back to me.

"No thanks, I'm good. You slept a couple of hours, but its fine. You didn't miss any phone calls or visitors." Wallace smoothed a hand over my cheek.

"You're such a doll. Thank you." He gestured at my hat and smiled gently. "You've been here quite a while. You're not comfortable enough to take your hat off?" My hand instinctively reached up to pull the hat further down my forehead.

"I'm plenty comfortable; I'd like to keep my hat on though." I fingered at my bangs sticking out from beneath it. _No one wanted to see my scars… even I didn't want to see them._ I could see the concern clear on his face.

"Are you positive? I've been keeping it kind of warm in here…" I slid a finger under my hat and touched the odd patch of skin with no hair. I closed my eyes and sighed, he was just going to worry anyway. Something told me that Wallace wouldn't be scared of my scars, _not like some others._

I slipped off my hat, watching the man's reaction as he noticed the large hypertrophic scars on my forehead.

"I got them when I was little." I quickly whispered. Then he did something that no one else ever did. Wallace smiled and ruffled his hand through my hair, casually brushing the scars.

"That's it? Why bother hiding this head of pretty hair because of a few little scars?" He chuckled and crouched down to my eye level. "Besides, it gives you character."

My tongue was stuck, I was lost for words. I just sat there gawping with my hat clutched in my fingers. _Character? _

"Now come with me to the kitchen, hon. You said that you wanted to help me find Steven, and this man isn't going to find himself. _That's for sure._" He giggled airily and sauntered into the kitchen. I hopped up and followed close on his heels. When we sat around the kitchen table and Wallace began to organize his papers, I fingered at my hair vigorously. It felt so odd to not be wearing my hat.

"So you know what cave he's in?" Wallace pulled out a number of cave maps and spread them out on the table.

"Last time Steven mentioned rocks, he said he was looking for a Moon stone, I believe. That narrows it down to… 6 possible caves. It took me forever to get all of this information, and now I'm stuck with 6 enormous caves to choose from." He sighed and shuffled through them. I propped my chin on the palm of my hand.

"Why don't we look at the most likely first? Where was he last seen?"

"He was in Rustburo with his father." He combed his hair back. "So where will you be staying now that you're done traveling?"

"Well…I guess I'll stay at the Pokémon league until I can work something out." _I didn't want to go back home after all of my hard work. I wasn't giving up yet._

"If you'd like I could help provide meals. I always have extra here." He smiled up at me and set aside a few maps. _So kind_.

He picked up one map and looked at it intently, it had a few words scrawled on it and the cave looked pretty big. His jaw dropped and he folded up the map.

"Brendan…I have to make a trip. I'll have my Pokénav on me, if you need to contact me. I don't know how long I'll be gone." He looked shocked and like he was on auto-pilot as he stood up from the table and gathered himself to leave.

"Can I come with you?"If he was going to go get Steven I wanted to be there to drag the idiot out too.

"No honey, I don't think that's a good idea. You should probably go head back to the League. I don't know how long this will take." I followed him to the door, where he slipped on a thin coat and sneakers. "There's no telling what I'm going to find. I'll let you know when I have news, okay sweetie?" I stared up at the man and pulled back on my hat. I tried my best not to sulk, but how was I going to get closer to Steven if I never had the chance?

I nodded and gathered my belongings at the door, squeezing Wallace in a quick hug.

"Bring him back home so I can beat some sense into him." He broke into a smile and brushed my bangs to the side.

"I'll do my best, Brendan."

* * *

I loved the crackling sound of debris scattering on the dirt floor, the jolt that wracked my body as I slammed the heavy metal tool into the thick wall, the feeling against my feet as the stones I just crushed crumbled before me. For me, there was no better feeling in the world.

With a satisfied sigh, I reached up and wiped the dust from my face, which was unclean and unshaven- but that didn't faze me. After the time I'd spent in solitude with my small companion, I was Zen at last. I had found a place where all worries of the outer world could no longer reach me and it felt _marvelous._ Meanwhile my Aron nosed through the remains at my shoes, eating a few stones.

I used my brush to cast aside any dust concealing gems in the cavern wall, finding a few uninteresting stones and minerals. It wasn't long before I heaved my pick-axe above my shoulder and smashed away at the thick sheet of stone again. My hands had long since been coated in a dry layer of clay and nails filled with dirt, my hair was most likely unrecognizable, and face had certainly been sheened with dust and mud; All petty things in my opinion. I was on a mission; a mission to find a stone…and a mission to _forget_. Aron trotted around the cavern and continued digging in a hole that he had previously started.

At this point, I had lost track of how long we'd been down there. I knew that it had been over a number of weeks and that our food supply that I had prepared was beginning to thin out. I enjoyed this cave more than others though, in this outlet there were never any trainers and few Pokémon. It was quite serene and the quiet echo of the distant waterfall created a pleasant atmosphere in the cavern. Because of the water, the air was never very dry and I could easily wash off any unwanted dirt. My Aron had the greatest time digging himself meters into the soft floor of the cave; and best yet, it was almost an unfamiliar cave to me. _It was perfect_.

The thick metal of my axe collided with the brittle rock of the wall, breaking off large chunks of crusted rock and allowing me further into the secrets of the cave. I ran a bare hand along the cool barrier, examining each bump and crevice of rock before me. After spending so much time in this area of the cave I began to feel connected to it, the cavern had become somewhat of an accustomed friend to me. I had memorized the structure of the area, counted the wondrous stalactites many a nights; if necessary I could have easily maneuvered around the area in the darkest of blacks without difficulty.

The wall crumbled at the force of my axe for the umpteenth time just when my Aron scrambled out of his hole and screeched. He ran for my legs and stepped on my feet excitedly. _Was a large Pokémon approaching?_ His head pressed against my shin, I searched the entrance of my cavern with a flashlight, hearing approaching footsteps and a fit of coughing. I placed my axe on a nearby boulder and went to investigate who was invading me. No one had found me this time, it had happened numerous times before in other caves; this time I thought I was well hidden and completely isolated, but it appeared some poor soul wandered his way too deep into the cave and was trying to find his way out.

"Hello? Sir, can I help you in any way?" I heard a distant gasp and the footsteps increased in speed and force. Before I could identify what was happening, I felt myself being tackled in a tight hug by a shaking body. Initially I thought that I was being attacked, but I quickly realized what was happening when I looked down at a very familiar head of teal hair on my chest. "_Wallace._" The name slipped from my lips as an instinctual whisper as I cradled his head in a dirty hand.

He quaked against me and clung to my ribcage so tightly I almost worried about asphyxiation.

"Steven…Steven…oh hell, Steven." He sounded like he was…_sobbing._

"Is everything alright, Wallace?" He looked up at me with teary eyes and tried to mouth words for a moment.

"_A…Alright?_ You blasted fool! You've been missing for practically _month_ now! Of course everything's not…I thought you were-" He choked on a sob and buried his face in my chest to cry more. I stroked his hair, feeling a pang of guilt strike me. It was so very strange to see Wallace _cry_. He had always been the stronger of us; in fact, I hadn't seen my friend cry since _he _passed.

"I'd ought to slap you." He croaked out with an exasperated chuckle.

I had no words; I could only hold him as he wept against me. He looked awful, his hair was a dirty mess, his clothes were unsuited for a cave and spotted with dirt and slightly wet, and as I felt his frame he seemed significantly thinner.

I felt ashamed of my selfishness. How could I have up and left so abruptly without even considering how it would affect him? The least I could have done was warn him of my absence.

"I'm so sorry." I settled my hands at his shoulder blades and he turned his cheek against my chest.

"You can't keep doing this kind of crap, Steven." He sniffled and backed away looking up at me with those tearful eyes. His face was smudged with dirt and grime and his eyes were lined with heavy bags underneath. "You're the only family I have left. You could have d..di-" I bowed my head as he coughed fitfully.

"It won't happen again. I promise." He rubbed his eyes and laughed in exhaustion.

"I forgive you. I'm so relieved that you're alright…" _Of course I'm alright, what else would I be?_

"I'm impressed that you managed to find me. Maybe you are meant to be a cave explorer after all…" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and he pressed a map towards me.

"This was the only cave in the region with Moon Stones, you said that's what you were looking for. I just followed the map all over the cave to try and find you." I took the map into my hands and examined all of the crossed out areas and notes were scattered along the detailed cave map.

"Very good Wallace. I'm even more impressed that you were so efficient." He clung to me in a hug again, not quite as constricting as before.

"I was so worried about you. Brendan was worried too, and your father. The whole region has been searching for you like crazy." I stepped back from him as the name rung in my head. It was one that had begun to seem foreign.

"_Brendan? _He knew that I disappeared?" Wallace rubbed at his eyes.

"Yes. Well, you see…He made it to the League and the secretary had told him that you were missing." I toyed over his words for a minute; it seemed like they were a different language, my brain refusing to accept the information.

"Wait a minute…are you telling me that _he knows_?" My heart throbbed wildly, _he knew my secret._ Wallace nodded gently and brushed the topic aside.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. All of that can be situated. We need to get out of here and you need to go home and shower. You also need to inform work that you're returning." I turned away and began gathering some of my items.

"But I'm not." I knew it came off as brusque. I heard him sputter.

"Pardon?" I tossed my pack over my shoulder and held my pick-axe in hand.

"I'm not returning to work. I've been thinking while I was down here that maybe I'm not suited for the position of Champion any longer. My priorities have been altered." He gaped at me like I had just sprouted another head.

"But Steven, you can't just-" I picked up my lantern and beckoned my Aron, heading towards the exit of the cavern.

"I understand that I can't just leave without filling the position." Wallace followed behind me, still flabbergasted by my news. "Would you be the new Hoenn Champion, Wallace?"

"Steven! You can't possibly be serious right now!"

"I'm absolutely serious." I rolled my shoulders and glanced back at my best friend with a grin. "I would be honored if you would be my replacement. I know that you will fill the roll wonderfully." He stammered for a moment and broke out into laughter.

"This is nonsense, but I think that…Well I guess that I'm just…" He snorted and almost tripped beside me. "_Okay._" I shot him a large smile and chuckled lightly.

"That's lovely." We continued much of our trip out of the cave in silence, just enjoying the other's presence; it was quite nice actually. When I knew that we would be approaching the exit soon I stopped and turned to Wallace, squeezing him in a quick hug.

"Thank you for coming to get me." He reached up and brushed the hair out of my face and gave me one of his signature motherly smiles.

"You're entirely welcome."

I had spent so much time convincing myself that I needed to get away so badly, which may have been somewhat true, but to be completely honest I was looking forward to going home again. I wanted to shower and sleep in my bed and enjoy the luxuries of indoor electricity once more.

It was nice to have the responsibility of the Champion lifted off of my shoulders so easily. There was one thing that was gnawing at the back of my head constantly however:

_Would Brendan still want me now that I was retired?_

I departed from my dear friend and hopped on my Skarmory to take flight.

_There was only one way to find out…_

* * *

_Cliffhangers are just cruel, aren't they?  
And what was that, Steven's stepping down? What in the world is happening here?  
Well don't worry lovelies, I know what I'm doing. _

_Also a side note about Brendan's scar- I know that Ruby in the manga has the Salamance scar where it's not mentioned in the games for Brendan; I decided that it would be nice to give Brendan the scar for character development that will be touched on some more in the next chapter. _

_So leave me your thoughts so far! Tell me that you're hungry for more and maybe you'll be lucky and get a chapter next month :D  
Are you anxious? Sad about lil' Wallace's tragic romance? Angry at Steven for being such a rock-head?  
_

_Let it all out in that little review box and come back to see how it all unravels in the next chapter- it's gonna be cray cray. _

_Until next time~_


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey again everyone!_

_I'm going to apologize now for how unbelievably long this chapter took for me to write/edit/finish/upload etc. _

_However, to make up for the delay this chapter is SUPER LONG. _

_Also** DEAR GOD PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS RATED M.** Continue on in caution pretty please~_

_Anyway, I hope the content makes it worth the wait!_

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Steel Gem**

In all of my years living in Mossdeep city, I can't recall it _ever_ raining this much. On most occasions rainy days didn't faze me, but I swear it had been_ pouring _for over a week! The water levels had risen so high that the beach surrounding the island had disappeared under the waves. It had been such a long time since I'd seen the sun that I was beginning to forget what it even looked like. The hammering of the bullet-like droplets on my roof was becoming as constant as the air I breathe.

With all of the spare time I'd gained recently, due to a sudden lack of occupation, I finally got around to organizing my rock collection. I'm proud to say that the displays of gems about my home had never been lovelier, and there were no more boxes of unpolished stones cluttering my floors. Aron had grown fond of the extra space he had to romp around and was currently dozing in his plush bed. Having all of this time to do as I pleased was slowly growing on me; _I'd never been able laze around as I please_. Although I'm not particularly the lazing type, on rainy days like these it's lovely to recline in a pile of pillows and read one of my favorite classic books by the lamplight; _The Origin of Pokémon by Means of Natural Selection._ I felt so at peace. Finally.

Between the patter of the rain falling, my Aron snoring and the well-loved pages of my book being turned it was easy for me to nod off once and a while beside the dim light.

Wallace had finally cooled down after the fiasco in Meteor Falls, the paperwork for my resignation was completely notarized and Wallace was now officially the Hoenn Champion. The media went wild at the beginning of the announcement. My biggest regret was causing the disappointment that it brought to my fans. I received bags full of letters from woeful trainers who were crushed that they wouldn't have the opportunity to compete with me and many fans said that they'd remain loyal to me; I was charmed to say the least, but I didn't want their commitment and dedication. Wallace was my dearest friend and he deserves the throne as much as I. As far as the fans wanting to battle me, I mailed them in return agreeing to work something out in the future.

I must say that my life was slowly pulling itself together and things were the best they'd been in such a long time…but there was one thing still gnawing at my heart.

Ruby eyes flashed before my mind's eye, causing my chest to ache for a moment.

I closed my eyes with a frustrated sigh and tried to pick up where I left off reading.

It was so very strange though, I'd heard _nothing_ from him since the day in Sootopolis. I ran a hand through my well-combed hair,

_He was just a fickle youth anyway; there was nothing to it but sheer infatuation. I set my expectations much too high in the first place._

I could feel my blood pressure slowly inching higher, the sound of the pages turning was beginning to grate on my nerves.

_Why would you expect him to bother with you once you resigned anyway? _

I twitched with anger; all of the thoughts I'd been avoiding were beginning to sneak up on me in my solitude. The brat never even called again. _Nothing_.

_He never wanted __**you**__. He wanted the __**champion**__._

I slammed the book down on the floor beside me and stormed into the bathroom. I was enraged, _how could a person be so thoughtless? After he KNEW how I felt about him!_

I splashed warm water from the sink onto my face and scrubbed my skin with a cloth. One hand clutched the counter as I looked at myself in the mirror. For the first time in ages I looked so well-rested and groomed, I looked and felt at my prime; but at the same time…for the first time…

_I was lonely._

I'd never experienced abandonment. I never would have thought it could _hurt_. It was the first time I'd cared for anyone more than platonically…and he just tossed me aside like trash. The great saying goes "Better to have loved and lost-"

But I now know that's all garbage.

As far as I was concerned, it was _not_ worth the pain of rejection.

I felt something small brush up against my leg and I heard my Aron coo softly. He was standing at my feet with a pair of slippers, looking up at me with big pouting eyes. I knelt down and ran my hands along his cold metal surface. He nuzzled me and put his front feet against my legs. _At least he would never abandon me._

I stepped into the slippers and slowly made my way back to the main room, Aron in tow. I grabbed the book from the floor and curled up with my Aron under the comforter. He snuggled against me, watching me with doting blue eyes. I couldn't have asked for a better companion.

Things in my home settled down once more and I was taken over by the calming atmosphere of the droning rain and the quiet snores of my Aron again. Before I knew it I was slowly drifting to sleep myself.

I was woken up by a frantic banging, initially I thought something was falling or hitting my home, but only after groggy inspection I realized that someone was pounding away at my front door. I rolled Aron to the side and drowsily stumbled to the door.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" I grumbled and fumbled with the locks on the door, cursing my inability to wake up quickly. What time was it anyway? I couldn't tell with all of the rainclouds lately…

I flung open the door and sighed.

"Yes?" I looked out at the sopping wet figure on my doorstep and froze. Was this a dream? A cruel joke?

Piercing red eyes stared up into mine through strands of wet hair; so much emotion was racing towards me through them. Before I could even process what was happening I felt something slap me across the face with shocking force._ What in the world?_

Brendan was standing there, looking ready to attack when he let out a loud sob.

"Why did you leave me?" He coughed through his sobs and lunged at me again, I caught his thin wrists in my hands as he tried to pummel me with his tiny fists. "I hate you! How could you do all of that to me? I hate you! I HATE YOU!" I was completely stunned. Do what? _What?_

"I left YOU? You're the one not returning calls! If anyone has the right to be mad it's me! You're the one that abandoned _me!_" I didn't mean to yell quite so loud…I was just…so…so

He stopped squirming and stared up at me with huge eyes, _eyes still so beautiful._

"I…_what_? You're the one who ran off into some dumb cave for Arceus-knows how long and abandoned ME!" He started sobbing again and threw his arms around me, burying his soaked face in my shirt.

"I was so scared! I thought you were dead! Why? Why why why?" he clung to me tighter and I tensed.

"I've been home for a couple of weeks now! Where have _you_ been? I've been trying like hell to get ahold of you!" He sniffled and looked up at me with pitiful eyes. It made it so hard for me to be mad at him. He was so precious…

"I…I wanted to surprise you." He mumbled. My brow crinkled and I pulled the door shut.

"What do you mean surprise me?" my voice softened dramatically to match his. He released me from his vice and shoved his hands into his pockets to dig around. I was stunned when he pulled out a small plastic box and clutched it tightly.

"I went to Unova to get it. I figured you hadn't been there to go digging yet." He opened the box and held out a sparkling ring with the most beautiful silver gem encased in it. "It's a Steel Gem…I spent days looking for it and had it turned into a promise ring for you." My heart throbbed so wildly that I thought it would pop right out my chest and I fought to keep my hands from trembling. _This is why he's been gone? _ I was speechless. Utterly speechless.

"Do you accept my promise to be your lover?" He sniffled and watched me with waiting, pleading eyes. I couldn't contain myself as I grabbed that lovely face and sealed my lips tightly against his. It felt like ages since I last touched him, my skin was aching for his. I could never forget the way he felt in my arms though, _it was so right. _I slid my hands through his wet hair, hat falling to the floor with a plop, clutching my fingers in the lovely strands. My hands quickly traveled to his face and clung to him there as our mouths danced together in a fury of passion. The musical whimpers he made beneath me rung in my ears as beautiful as the first time I heard them. I could feel his small chest heaving beneath mine vehemently as he gasped for breath between frenzied kisses. He pulled away for a moment, struggling for air while I moved on to his jaw; lapping away at the delicate pale flesh that was screaming for my touch.

"Is...is this a yes?" I forced myself to pull away for a moment, promising myself that's all it would be; a moment. I couldn't bare another moment without him, touching him, caressing him, kissing him, _anything. _

I grabbed his small hands, taking the lovely ring from him and sliding it onto my finger. I pushed the dark strands of hair that were plastered to his forehead back and kissed the soft skin there.

"I love you." That's all I could get out. Nothing else needed to be said. He flung his arms around my neck and jumped up, wrapping his slender legs around my waist and pulling me into the most heated kiss of my life. He clung to me like a second skin, his clothes soaking my own as he explored my mouth ravenously. I could make out strangled gasps of 'I love you' between wet kisses as he attacked me in such a wonderful manner. I stumbled back beneath his weight and leaned against the table in the center of my room. His hands slid themselves down my body and began busying themselves with my shirt buttons, fumbling to get my shirt open without ripping the buttons off. I half expected him to tear the shirt apart in eagerness.

He leaned in and pressed his forehead and nose against mine, staring me squarely in the eye.

"_I want you to fuck me_." He panted against my lips, with a suggestive nudge of his hips against mine. I gasped and felt all of the blood rush from my head to go south, leaving me giddy. My heart was thrashing harder than ever. We gasped for air against each other's lips, his hands clinging to my shirt collar.

"I…I…_now?_" He closed in stealing another kiss before pulling away with a wet smacking sound.

"_Of course now!_" every cell was alert and tingling in my body, I felt a certain appendage begin to throb persistently. He nuzzled his nose against my ear, then pressing his lips against me he whispered "_Please?"_

I resisted the urge to moan and throw him to the floor to ravage him like a beast; instead I wrapped my arms tightly around his slim waist and dragged him into my _den_. He giggled madly as I threw him into the cloud of pillows and blankets. I crouched over him like a wild animal and nipped at his neck with my teeth, my hands hovering at his hips.

As we flopped about the bedding my Aron whined in protest to being woken up. I groped for his Pokéball in the sheets and opened it, glancing at him with an apologetic look as I withdrew him into the ball, but quickly cast it aside as I drew my attention back to Brendan. _My lovely, wonderful Brendan. _

Brendan's tiny hands slid my shirt from my shoulders and clung at my ribcage. My hands were starving for his skin; they wormed their way beneath his shirt and feasted on the expanse of pristine skin beneath the fabric. He let out quiet whimpers and pants against my ear and squirmed beneath my calloused hands. My lips latched themselves back against his soft pale ones and indulged in the long anticipated contact. I pulled away and gasped in shock when I felt those small hands inch their way beneath the waistline of my pants. My eyes searched his for any sign of hesitation or uncertainty…but I seemed to be the uncertain one.

"Wait…wait…I just…are you sure? You're still so…" Brendan slid his fingers over my mouth and pressed his damp forehead against mine.

"I'm sure." I pushed aside the lust that was driving me wild and cupped his adorable, flushed cheek.

"This is a huge decision, you don't want any time to-" he pressed his lips hard against mine and clutched my hips with his dainty hands.

"_I'm positive. I want you to fuck me._" I shuddered and covered his tiny hands with my much larger ones.

"call it…love making." He flushed an exquisite shade of pink and wrapped his slender arms around my hips, pulling me down against his body.

"_Make love to me._" I could feel the undeniable throb of blood in my crotch at the sultry words. My hands took off without my permission and started sliding his drenched shirt over his luminescent torso, caressing every inch of skin as they worked their way up. His skin was warming up by the second, but his clothes were still chilled from the rain. As I peeled the shirt from his body, I trailed a myriad of kisses along his torso until I reached his neck where I continued to explore with my lips. His small shaky hands began fumbling at his belt; I watched his exposed chest heave up and down like clockwork. His tiny pink nipples were more adorable this close than I would have ever imagined. I dipped my head down to steal a quick kiss at his nipple, pleased to hear the gasp of surprise he emitted.

"Th…There…" he whispered, clutching my bare arms with his petite fingers. I lowered my head down once more, watching his face with amused blue eyes as he shuddered from the contact. I kissed around the nipple languidly and peaked out my tongue when I started gaining more confidence. He squeezed my arms tightly and let out a muffled cry when my lips brushed the tip of the pink nub. "ah, wait…I won't be able to…if you…" I rested my chin on his collar and smiled at his flushed face, my hands flat against his stomach.

"What should I do?" Brendan clutched at my shoulders with quaking fingers and sighed.

"Lay back." Reluctant to leave his touch, I rolled to the side and waited for his next instruction. I was very pleased when Brendan sat himself, in all of his shirtless glory, on my lap and caressed my hips. I watched him through lidded eyes as his hands explored the crevices and muscles contouring my stomach, his small fingers dusting along my skin gently and pressing inquisitively in some places. My eyelids fluttered closed when I felt his soft wet tongue dip along my abdomen, discovering and tasting the unfamiliar area.

Every inch of my body was tingling with pleasure, my hands running through his damp hair gently as I basked in the sensations. My member was becoming persistent and needy, but for the first time I wasn't ashamed. I could finally embrace my passion for Brendan because he was returning it.

I felt a hand slide to my crotch and press gently against my member. I choked back a groan and panted. A tremor shook my body and he began to slide down my pants.

"This is alright?" His voice was quiet, timid. I bit my tongue and nodded quickly. Soon my pants were tossed aside and Brendan was fingering away at my boxers. Suddenly he was crawling away, stumbling somewhere; I couldn't find my voice to protest, but my body was screaming in agony.

"Brendan?" I heard the patter of his bare feet against my hardwood. "Brendan?" I called again; feeling extremely exposed all of a sudden.

"Hang on!" more shuffling of feet and fabric and then I heard him running. I jumped when Brendan pounced back under the table, landing across me. He was in nothing but his tight underwear with a small bottle in his hand. He giggled and crushed his mouth against mine with surprising force and twined his arms around my neck. His tongue dove eagerly into my mouth and prodded at my tongue, attacked my teeth and he nipped at my lips and tongue as I returned his aggression. Our saliva mingled together and dribbled down our chins as we continued our tongue battle.

I smirked into the sloppy kiss and slid my hands down his back to grab his soft rump. He moaned expressively against me as my hands groped the tender flesh. His hands slid roughly down my sides and back to my crotch, the back of his knuckles rubbed against the sensitive organ causing me to gasp. Brendan pulled away from my lips and sat up to work at the small bottle in his hands.

"What…what is-" I caught a slight glimmer in his ruby eyes as he flipped the lid off.

"Lubricant…"

_For?_ I searched my memory for the reasoning for any lubricant…then I remembered the conversation I had with Wallace a while back.

_It would feel good with preparation…Preparation?_

I had no idea he meant like this!

Before I could process what was happening Brendan was pulling down my underwear and ghosting his fingertips over my swollen erection. I felt a throaty moan escape my mouth as his touches became bolder, rubbing the shaft with increasing force. A jolt of pleasure shot through my body like hot lightning when I felt moist, warm lips against the head of my member. Stars blurred my vision and I tossed my head back in pleasure. He kissed along the heated flesh gently and began to knead at my heavy sac with his amazing hands. My hips jerked involuntarily and I gasped for air. It just felt…_ungh_. His zealous lips worked around every centimeter of my throbbing cock, small fingers massaging themselves against my sensitive sac in ways I never imagined possible. My mind was beginning to haze over with pleasure, making it difficult to think. _Not that I needed to do much thinking for this._

The lips removed themselves from my weeping organ and were replaced by slick hands, coating me with a generous layer of lube. All I could focus on was Brendan's gorgeous eyes when he glanced up at me during his ministrations. I'd never seen so much lust in one's eyes before. His slick hands traced every inch of my shaft one last time before sliding away. He crawled up and sat on my stomach, leaning down and breathing gently against my lips.

"Should I stretch myself or do you want to do it?" I gaped at him for a moment, his eyes piercing mine.

"Stretch? Wh-what do you-" His lustful look turned into one of horror.

"You don't think I can take you without stretching first, do you? Are you _crazy_? I don't even know if I can take something so…so…" His cheeks flushed scarlet and he glanced down at my hips. "large." I reached up to run my hands along his waist gently, placing a tender kiss on his collar bone.

"What do I do?" Brendan shivered and pressed the small bottle into my hands, rolling on his back and slipping off his underwear. I could feel my face and member flush with blood as I spotted his swollen cock twitching in anticipation. I hadn't realized how hard he'd gotten. His face reddened and he shot me a coy look as he spread his legs apart for me. _Never in my wildest dreams would I really think Brendan would be doing this for me_.

"Can I touch you?" My voice came out surprisingly bold, much more than I expected. He just clenched his eyes closed and nodded quickly. It was refreshing to see the almighty Brendan being bashful; he was so irresistibly adorable.

With one hand I rubbed the milky skin of his inner thigh smoothly, the other tested lightly at the base of Brendan's erection. He panted heavily and clutched the sheets tightly with his tiny fists while his body shook. My hand massaged soothing circles into his flawless skin, I cooed softly to lull him. I didn't want him to be so uneasy.

"Relax sweetie, shh…" Bright ruby eyes peered out at me through dark lashes anxiously. He was still quivering slightly, but not as much.

"I'm okay…Just take the lube and put it on your finger." His breathing was still labored. I removed my hand from the hot flesh and obeyed his instructions, unsure of my feelings for the sensation of lubricant coating my finger.

Brendan lifted his hips lightly and rocked his legs further apart. My lower regions throbbed madly at the sight of Brendan's rosy hole displayed right in front of me.

"P-Put it in." He whispered quietly. I bit my lip and grabbed the underside of his leg, positioning my finger to enter the tight ring of muscle.

"Are you-"

"Put it in!" he practically yelled, I could tell he was getting impatient.

It felt strange to have the tight ring clench down on my finger as I slowly entered Brendan with my index finger. He trembled like a leaf once the finger was seated inside him. Not able to contain my curiosity, I began moving my finger, gently at first. Once Brendan seemed comfortable with the thickness of my finger inside him, I began exploring with an avid interest. I traced the slick lining of the cavern walls gently, sliding it in and out of him with ease; thanks to the lubricant.

Brendan sighed contently and his fists released my bedding from their clutch, winding their way into my hair. It felt wonderful to have his small fingers massaging my scalp. I watched his expression slide into one of pleasure as he panted quietly through kiss-swollen lips. He whimpered softly and his hips writhed, one hand sliding to my neck and grasping ineptly at the hairs on the base of my neck.

"Another." He whined, blunt nails digging into my skin as I added a second finger. He scrunched his pretty eyes closed and tensed at the intrusion, slowly easing up at the digit. I bent forward and placed light kisses on his stomach to distract him from any discomfort as I began to slide my sleek fingers in and out of him. He cried out quietly and squirmed around at first, his hands grappling franticly at my skin, almost panicked.

"Ah-ah…I've done this before but…you're fingers are so much bigger than mine…" He choked, legs now writhing. I yielded my kisses and glanced up at his lovely, pink face. My cock jumped at the image of Brendan fingering his own tight hole.

"Are you in pain? Should I stop?" He shook his black locks gently and smoothed his hands over my hair.

"No! Don't…I like it." The plea dripped from his tempting lips. My lips took that as a cue to continue my ministrations on his belly, my fingers still exploring his insides eagerly, yet cautiously. I was shocked when I felt Brendan's hips begin to press down against my digits, assuming it was accidental at first; then he twined his legs around my back and pressed down against my hand with more force. He was mewling keenly and tossing about in the sheets.

"More." He purred thrusting down against my fingers. "I…I want you to find my _sweet_ _spot_." He panted, hands fumbling at my cheeks. _His sweet spot?_ I tilted my head up to look at him, ruby eyes flooded with desire. I gently lapped at the pale skin of his stomach, eyes still in a seductive lock with his, and pushed a third finger forward into the constricting hole. I was amazed at how much could be forced into his tiny pink hole.

He tossed his head back and a moan ripped itself free from his throat. I shivered at the delectable sound. My fingers pumped themselves in and out of his lithe body at a slow pace, exploring, feeling, caressing, memorizing every small bump and ridge within the boy.

His entire body tensed and his back arched at a shocking angle as he cried out violently.

"_Ngaahh Steven!_"

"Did I hurt you?" He trembled and gripped my arms with his hands, now gasping uncontrollably.

"I…that was it…I can't take much more. Put it…" He paused and took a deep breath, pulling my fingers out of him slowly with a whine. His entrancing eyes held mine as he placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Make love to me. _Right now."_ My cock made its presence well known at that moment, throbbing hard. I wrapped my arms tightly around his small frame and stroked the soft skin of his inner thighs with my calloused hands. His legs spread willingly and he peeked at me through one eye as I prepared myself to enter the stretched hole.

I pressed myself against the flushed skin, slowly easing the head of my shaft into the tight ring. Brendan's eyebrows crunched together and his small nails burrowed themselves into my shoulders. I pressed on until he clawed at my skin and squealed in pain. He grappled at my back desperately, tearing at skin. I fought back the unimaginable pleasure from being in the tight hot cavern and stroked his face gently. I wanted to stop completely when I saw tears leak from his clenched eyes.

"_nngh…_I'm going to pull out…" He shook his head furiously and squeezed my sides with his hands tightly.

"No! I…I've been dreaming about this for _years_. It's just bigger than I expected." He looked up at me through teary crimson eyes. I shuddered at the overwhelming pleasure and rubbed his cheek gently with my thumb, trying to soothe him in any way possible. "K-Keep going." He whispered heavily against my fingers.

Hesitantly, I continued to enter the tight body; pleasure overwhelming my senses. My thoughts were drowning and my entire body grew hotter by the second. Brendan whimpered quietly and squirmed among the sheets, fingers scrambling for something to hold onto and eventually settling for my arms. Once I was buried inside the boy to the hilt I paused and waited for further signal from him. He tossed around and fidgeted quite a bit, his muscles squeezing me and testing my cock in a superb way. His whimpers died down and he shifted against my hips, gazing up at me longingly.

"You can move now." His lithe legs hooked around my waist as he pressed himself closer and pulled me deeper inside him. I let out a muffled grunt of pleasure. His milky body was forming a thin sheen of sweat and his eyes were glassy. It was torture to slowly pull back from the tight muscle only to ease myself back into the boy. He moaned wantonly and squeezed my arms.

"You feel _amazing_." I groaned with another prod forward, more smoothly this time. Brendan's tight hole became voracious and drew me further inside with each thrust. Our bodies rocked together in a simple rhythm, in out, in out, in out. My brain was fogged over, the only thoughts I was able to process were those of Brendan and how incredibly sexy he was with his flushed face and with his naked, sweaty body.

His hands wandered to his own shaft and began to grope clumsily at the organ. I slid his hands away with one of my own and stroked his need for him. His hips jerked eagerly into my hand, rosy lips letting a delicious moan spill from between them.

"More Steven." He pleaded. "Fill me with your hot, sticky cum. Fuck me raw." He shoved his hips hard against mine and cried out blissfully. I felt like I was going to explode from the sultry words he had moaned. I lunged into him again with a tight squeeze to his cock, my thrusts growing deeper and quicker each time; our rocking becoming hectic and desperate.

"_Harder! Faster!" _His legs tightened at my waist, pulling me balls deep inside the snug cavity. His muscles flexed around my cock as I gained speed, jabbing my hips sloppily against his flank. Between the sounds of the hammering rain, our mingled moans and gasps and the wet sounds of skin slapping I was going utterly mad. I craned my head down to catch his lips in a chaotic kiss, pounding myself against him wildly; all self-control was shoved out of me by a sea of lust.

His voice was even more intoxicating than I imagined crying into my mouth. His nails clawed themselves down my back surely leaving well distinguished marks covering my skin. My hands were clutching his willowy hips with a crushing force as he rammed himself against my thrusts.

"Stev-oh fuck…ngh _Steven!_ I-I'm going to come!" He gasped against my lips, clinging to me as if his dear life depended on it. Brendan let out a broken cry and thrust his hips down against mine, his muscles clenched unbearably tight around me, sending me over the edge as well.

We came together, groaning against each other's saliva-drenched lips as we slipped into a state of euphoria. He shuddered and flexed for a few moments, I could feel his toes curled against my lower back. I dipped my head down to the crook of his neck and smooched fondly at the sweaty flesh. He was panting for air; some mewls escaping his throat as he climbed down from his climax. I pulled out of him slowly, placing a languid kiss on his collarbone that would be sure to bruise. Brendan buried his face in my hair and wrapped his arms around my neck possessively.

"I love you." He whispered tiredly against the shell my ear. I lifted up my head and met him in a chaste kiss, rolling in the sheets so that we were lying beside one another. He cuddled up close to me, one leg hooked around mine. I nuzzled my face in his downy, damp hair and enjoyed the sweet, salty, slightly peachy scent that was so…_Brendan. _My body was still tingling from the fantastic orgasm; each of my senses seemed to be intensified and hypersensitive.

We lay together in the dim lamp light, the patter of rain on my roof mingled with the sound of his gentle breaths. His face was pressed against my chest while I caressed his hair in my fingers. I would have been blissful to stay just the way we were with him for the rest of my life. His fair body seemed to glow a gentle gold in the warm light that dusted the room. I admired the smooth curves of his naked body against mine, the sensual arch in his back, the perfectly sculpted shoulders and thin arms that clung to me. I felt the sweat begin to dry on our bodies, our breathing finally evening out, but our hearts were still fluttering.

"Hey Steven…" He looked up at me with curiosity in his beautiful eyes.

I pressed my face against the top of his head and smiled.

"Hmm?"

"Could I get a shower?" For the first time I realized that there was a gooey mess smeared between the two of us.

"Of course." I pulled my head back and smiled matter-of-factly at him.

"I…I don't think I can walk." He blushed and looked away, almost embarrassed to be in his condition. _It's a little too late for coyness. _

I stretched a bit and crawled out from under the table, scooping his small, warm body up in my arms. It was a dream come true to have Brendan here with me in my arms like this. We were finally a…_couple. _

As I carried Brendan to the bathroom my mind began to wander and imagine what things would be like between us from now on. Would he move in with me? What kind of things would we do? We could go on dates and explore new places together…sleep in until noon with one another cuddling beneath the sheets…take vacations and do _anything_ together. I was bubbling over with excitement, my pace quickening until I pushed the door open with my foot.

"What are you cheesing about?" I gazed down at his mocking face and just smiled. I was so lucky to have Brendan.

"Just thinking about us." He blushed and rolled his eyes, wiggling himself in my arms.

"You're a goofball." I chuckled and sat on the edge of the bathtub, settling Brendan comfortably in my lap and turning on the faucet to allow the water to warm. I brushed a hand through his hair slowly, enjoying the way the silky strands felt against my fingers. Then I noticed his scar again, the one he constantly hid from sight. I watched his eyes slip closed and traced a finger lightly over the smooth skin and sighed. It was hard to imagine someone as beautiful as Brendan being self-conscious of any part of their body. Without a second thought I leaned down and placed a tender kiss on the wide scar. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me with puzzled garnet eyes.

"Why did-"

"I think you're the loveliest person in the world." He cupped my face in his hands and pulled me in for a tender kiss. I cradled his little frame in my arms and nuzzled my face into his hair.

"You know…I've never had a boyfriend before." He grinned up at me and giggled.

"Neither have I." I turned off the water and lowered him into the bathtub. He scooted back and waved for me to get in with him.

I climbed in the warm water and stared at the wall awkwardly unsure of what to do or how to behave. I wasn't used to people, let alone being intimate with someone and trying to establish a relationship. I was such an amateur in the courting process that I was stumbling over myself in confusion. I wanted to see and touch him; it felt strange to be blinded from him because of our position.

I jumped when I felt his wet hands at the small of my back. His fingers slowly slid up my back, brushing over the raw skin from his grappling fingernails.

"What kind of things are we going to do?" I broke the silence and shuddered when I felt his lips against my shoulder blade, I had no idea he was so close.

"This I guess?" He kissed down my back slowly, hands wrapping around my ribs_. Doing this kind of thing with Brendan everyday would be perfect with me._

"_Damn_. I really tore you up…I'm sorry." His lips were at my ear now. I squeezed around and glanced over his bare frame, taking note of the bruises beginning to form at his hips.

"I have a feeling I returned the favor…does it hurt _down there_?" Brendan pursed his lips and shrugged.

"Yeah, but it was worth it." He leaned forward and gripped me in a hug, one hand sliding down my torso. I shuddered as he pressed his wet skin flush against mine. I could feel his heart beating against my back, his lungs expanding with air, and his teasing hands at my stomach. Without realizing it, my shaft began to come to life again. _Brendan realized it though._

"Do you want a round 2?" He chuckled playfully in my ear, his hot breath making me tremble.

"But aren't you s-" Brendan slid his fingers across my lips to hush me.

"I know you do, turn around." I silently obeyed, feeling myself being scrutinized in detail by his vigilant eyes. One could say he was undressing me with his eyes, but given that I was already undressed he was positively _devouring_ me. I contemplated hiding myself when I began growing more erect under Brendan's gaze, although it would be useless.

He didn't hesitate to pounce on me like a hungry beast and ravish my mouth. He growled, whimpered and moaned into the heated mashing of our tongues. I felt him grind his swelling erection against my torso with an unrelenting moan. He pulled his mouth away and panted against my drenched lips.

"Oh fuck…I'm still so horny." He slammed his mouth back against mine and rocked himself against my abdomen eagerly. His sultry words shivered straight down my spine and caused my cock to jolt. I wrapped my arms around his fidgeting body and returned his passionate kiss with equal enthusiasm.

"Steven, do you like it when I talk dirty?" I gasped when I felt his hot tongue trail along my jaw.

"I…I suppose." He planted a quick, wet kiss on my lips and moved to my ear again.

"_Good_." He grabbed my hips with his hands and began working his way to my already-stiff erection. "Because first, I'm going to rub down every little part of your meaty cock and tease you until you're groaning my name." He squeezed the base of my shaft for emphasis and began fondling at my balls deliberately. "_Then_ I'm going to suck you off and taste your sweet semen when you explode in my mouth." I gaped for air and panted as his hand wrapped itself tightly around my cock, pumping the organ while the other rolled my sac skillfully. "But you won't be done yet. After that I'm going to frot against you with all of my energy and scream your name so sexually that you'll _die_ of pleasure." I bit back a moan and gasped when he rubbed his thumb along the head of my cock.

"f-frot?" He grinned ferally and closed in on me with an intimidating smirk.

"Yeah, it's when you do this." He pressed his hips against mine so that our erections pressed intimately against each other and began to thrust up against my shaft. I slid a hand over my mouth quickly to suppress my desperate groan as pleasure shot through my whole body. "You like that?" He taunted against my lips, drawing his teasing hips away.

I hummed in conformation and tried to steal a kiss from him, but he slid away too quickly. His small hands pushed me back against the shower wall assertively and he began to trail his tongue down my body. His hot tongue provoked in and around my naval, causing me to squirm in anticipation. I felt faint from the heat of the water splashing around us and from the loss of blood flow to my brain. My erection was already fully hard and throbbing. I couldn't take much tormenting from him at all.

"Please…stop teasing…" I panted grasping onto the edges of the tub. Brendan glanced up at me with impish eyes and ran his fingers through the coarse hair at the base of my shaft.

"Alright, since you asked so nicely." He lowered himself and wrapped his warm lips around the head of my erection, bobbing his head slowly. I shuddered at the wonderful sensation. He was so incredibly sensual, in every way, I couldn't handle it. I was already so close to the edge that I had no idea how long I could last with his willing mouth taking me deeper, and deeper, and_ deeper_…

My fingers tightened around the porcelain and I forced myself not to thrust when I felt his hot throat clench around the tip of my cock, sucking and bobbing, licking and kissing every inch he could get to. His gorgeous eyes glanced up at me through dark lashes when he noticed me slipping beyond control. He smirked around the member in his mouth and hummed teasingly.

The vibrations from his throat jolted through my body like hot electricity and I let out a strangled groan.

"I…I can't hold on…" He slipped his sensual lips away from my need and grabbed the base with his hand, pumping the flesh insistently.

"Cum for me, Steven." He took my length back into his mouth again, sucking greedily at the tip and fisting the base of it firmly. I couldn't hold back the desperate cry that spilled from my lips, the water splashing around us as I reached my climax. Brendan willingly took in my orgasm, swallowing the fluid as it filled his mouth, some bits dribbling down his chin with his saliva. My arms failed to support me any longer and I slid into the water, gasping desperately while my body trembled from the orgasm.

Brendan watched me with wicked eyes and licked at his lips, _waiting._ I struggled against the porcelain flooring, finding no way to support myself and sit up again. Brendan reached around me and released the drain for the water in the tub.

"Don't worry about standing or sitting. You won't need to do any of that." I was acutely aware of Brendan's prominent erection when he leaned over me to turn on the shower head and rinse us in warm water. He slid back down my body and placed a forceful kiss on my lips, his slightly-salty tongue invading my mouth and nudging all around. He pulled away with a wet pop.

"Did I do good? It was my first time." He chuckled against my lips. I hummed approvingly and slid my hands through wet, black strands of hair. He climbed up my body and pressed his hips against mine, the weight of his body trapping me against the shower floor. His erection nudged at my sensitive cock, slowly enticing it back to life.

_For crying out loud-this boy never gets enough_…_not that it's necessarily a bad thing. _

I joined his wet lips in a slow, sensual kiss; my hands slid down his slender back and rested themselves at his tight ass, squeezing the supple flesh lightly. He purred and ground his hips down against mine, our erections sliding together. He rocked his hips back and forth against mine, his lips mingled together with mine, our bodies slipping against one another in the warm water.

I curled my fingers tighter against his rump, testing the willing flesh there and enjoying the sensation of the boy's cheeks. _I felt so wayward. _

My erection was quickly alive again and pulsing against my stomach, my brain was slowly becoming a stew in the steamy room with all of the loss of blood to my crotch. I was becoming a drooling, moaning, desperate, sex-zombie. Brendan gasped against my lips, his face so precious, as he struck a sensitive spot while thrusting. I groaned in pleasure, thrusting back against his wet erection. The two of us pressed hungrily against each other and let out muffled grunts, whimpers and moans into the others mouth. Our bodies slipped against one another easily with the water soaking us, our limbs clutching and hips grinding wildly.

My entire body was going on auto-pilot, I was losing complete control as I neared my third orgasm. He mewled urgently against my mouth his hands sliding between the two of us and clutching his thin fists around our erections. I reached down along with his hands and helped him pump our needs, our hips still pushing and tongues still mashing. I caught his hazed ruby eyes in my own, his face contorted with utter pleasure as he squeezed our cocks tighter.

"_Steven…._unggg Steven!" He cried out frantically, smashing his mouth against mine. I jerked my hands faster, thrusting and our bodies slammed together in desperation. Cries began spilling from his open mouth against mine with every thrust, pushing me even closer to my climax. I grunted and squeezed our erections a final time, my voice catching in my throat and vision blurring over as I was washed over by an intense wave of pleasure. I could hear our frenzied cries of pleasure in the distance, beneath the sound of my heartbeat and blood pulsing in my ears.

Slowly, my senses sharpened again, my body completely exhausted. Brendan was flush against my body, our skin soaked by the now-cooling water. I slicked his hair back with wet hands and pulled his head in against my neck, where he lay exhausted and panting.

"You, my dear, are _unbelievable._" His body shook with a small chuckle and tiny hands curled at my chest.

"You weren't half bad yourself."

...

* * *

...

The warm glow of the afternoon sun woke me up, bathing the room around me with just enough light to take in the scenery; _and Arceus, was this scenery fantastic._ I was immediately aware of the warm body curled up against mine, moving with deep breaths as Brendan slept. His arm was curled around me and his face was nestled in my side.

A smile settled itself comfortably on my lips and my eyes slipped closed again, the Wingull could be heard circling the island as they squawked and chirped with the others. It sounded like the torrential downpour had finally broken. Never in my life had I felt so…content and _complete_.

I slid my hand up without disturbing Brendan to further observe the ring he'd given me just the night before. The silver band was absolutely stunning, and the gem he chose couldn't have been more my taste. The square-cut, silvery stone glistened gorgeously in the scarce beams of light. It was so impressive that he managed to find a rare stone that I had yet to acquire.

There was a reflexive itching inside of me to pack up and head for Unova to find more new and unusual stones, but I quickly pushed down the impulse when I glanced down at Brendan's slumbering form.

I could happily say that there was now something that I would rather spend my time doing than digging in caves and battling Pokémon. Both of those combined were not as important to me as being with Brendan.

His askew hair was begging me to reach down and smooth it out, and who was I to deny it? My fingers brushed through the short strands gently, as to not wake him, and neatened some of his frowzy hairs. I slowly pushed his bangs out of his face to see some of his peaceful expression.

Dark lashes graced his pale cheeks, rosy lips were parted and letting out gentle sighs, and nose was pressed against my shoulder; it was a divine sight to behold.

I found it as a slight surprise to see how much youth and childlike-adolescence that his face still held while sleeping, especially after seeing what _mature_ expressions he was capable of last night…during our sessions of passionate love-making. His skin looked irresistibly soft to touch, not that I could ever forget the feeling of his skin against mine, but it looked new. There was a different glow to him, I had no idea if it was just tricks from the lighting, my newly unleashed supply of hormones, or the fact that he really had a glow to him; but I didn't care. Brendan was the loveliest person I'd ever laid my eyes on.

Brendan grumbled sleepily and squeezed his arm around me tighter. I gazed down at him when his eyes fluttered open, meeting mine with beautiful ruby irises. He batted his eyelashes and a smile grew on his face, lighting up his sleepy eyes.

"Hey," He beamed up at me groggily. I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Morning, beautiful." His cheeks dusted a faint pink and he snuggled closer to me.

"Do you have food?" he climbed up and rested his head next to mine. I wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

"I think I can arrange for something." I crawled on top of him and nuzzled his nose with mine. "You'll have to pay me in kisses though." Excitement flickered in his garnet eyes and he twined his thin arms around my neck to pull me in for a deliberate, loving kiss.

Back when Brendan and I first met, if someone told me that we would end up falling for each other and becoming a couple, I would have had to restrain myself from scoffing. Never in a billion years would I ever picture myself ending up with someone as charismatic and lovely as Brendan.

It was looking like I was going to need a bigger table.

...

* * *

_Well, there you have it. Steven and Brendan are finally together...and pursuing naughty things and such..._

_**BUT** this story is not done yet! Huzzah!_

_Keep your eyes peeled for a soon-to-come epilogue that will wrap everything up :)_

_Let me know what you think! You'll be responsible for inspiring the epilogue (Which will be fluff like you wouldn't believe)_

_So review review review! That's the only thing that will keep reminding me to work on the piece!_

Thank ya'll for readin', ya'll come back now!

_Unrelated: You can battle Steven Stone in the new Pokemon B/W 2. Unnnnggghh yes please!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Let me start off by saying that I am SO SORRY it took me so long to finish this._

_It's been a ridiculously long time since I last updated, so to those of you followers who read this and have put up with me: _**thank ****you!**

_Action, Smut and serious Fluff lies ahead. **This is rated M for a reason!** (I mean, if you haven't already figured that out)_

_This will be the final addition to What Lies Beyond Ever Grande so hopefully it will be worth the wait :)_

* * *

**Epilogue: What Lies Beyond Ever Grande**

He was completely absurd. I didn't know how much more of his ridiculous behavior I could handle. I tried to be tolerant; I knew I should have been grateful that he accepted me, but _this_? This was going way too far.

I had enough attention drawn to myself without the help of Professor Birch. The "I heart my gay son" bumper sticker was unsettling, the gay pride posters and signs in his lab were downright embarrassing, but coming to Brendan's big contest wearing pride shirts and waving rainbow flags was unacceptable. This wasn't even supportive anymore; he was just making a spectacle out of himself. Why couldn't he just go to PFLAG meetings and send us supportive little emails?

I slumped in my seat next to Wallace, hoping that this chaotic event would end soon. The loud cheering of the people filling the stadium grated my nerves, the densely packed seats made me crowded and uncomfortable, and Prof. Birch just managed to make me angry. Brendan's father made me grateful that my own father practically brushed off the fact that I was gay. Once it sunk in, he didn't really care saying "Well my boy, it's not like I really expected grandchildren anyway, Ohohoho!"

To this day I'm not quite sure whether or not I'm offended by his response, but it doesn't matter. The fact that Brendan and I were together and everyone was alright with it was all that mattered. Everything was going smoothly now. Wallace was serving as a superb Champion, Brendan trained vigorously with Wallace to make it to the Hoenn Grand Festival Pokémon contest- where we were now- and I had taken up my father's offer to work alongside him at Devon.

All of my irritation aside, I was excited for Brendan. Nervous and excited. He'd been working nonstop with his Swampert for the past month to prepare for today. I'd barely gotten to spend more than an hour with my beautiful lover, when we weren't collapsed from exhaustion that is. Not to mention the fact that I'd been commuting all the way to Rustburo every day and working tediously long days. We'd sacrificed so much time together that I'd be crushed if he didn't win this.

It was almost the final division of the battle round and it was between Brendan and a young girl named May. I wanted Brendan to win this tournament even more than I wanted his dad to disappear at the moment.

The lights of the stadium dimmed and Wallace clutched my wrist in a vice-like grip. The PA announcer's voice echoed around the room introducing May and my Brendan. I couldn't deny the way my stomach fluttered with excitement when Brendan entered the arena. Pride swelled up from my gut and fizzled out my mouth in a goofy smile, watching as Brendan practically skipped across the floor waving enthusiastically to the audience. _I wonder if he's looking for me?_

Wallace jerked me out of my seat, clapping and cheering wildly, I had no doubt he was even more excited for Brendan than I was. He'd been coaching Brendan on performance techniques and strategies, perfecting their routine from hours upon hours of training. This was the moment it all worked up to.

It was nearly impossible to hear the PA over people, like Professor Birch, hooting and hollering uncontrollably. Fortunately we had had fantastic seats to see Brendan, which I imagine was due in part to Wallace's history in the contests; from where we were seated I could even see the shimmer of his gorgeous ruby irises. Our eyes met and he beamed, waving at our trio eagerly. Wallace was jumping and waving so wildly I had to grab onto his arm to keep him from toppling over the seats in front of us.

I watched in horror as Professor Birch trust an arm into the air and shouted "Kick her ass, Son!"

Wallace and I gaped at him in shock. "What? Too much?"

I rubbed my temples in response and averted my gaze from the garish man. Everything about him was _too much_.

The MC in the arena announced the beginning of the finals. I could feel my stomach drop from the anticipation.

"We have five minutes on the clock, and BEGIN!"

I sat back down in my seat and clutched onto the armrests anxiously, watching as Brendan released his Swampert. Wallace screeched loudly in my ear when the small girl released a Sceptile.

"No! Swampert is so weak to grass types! I can't look!" He hid his face in my arm and I cringed while Brendan's Pokémon took a hard hit from the Sceptile's Giga Drain. Brendan was struggling to dodge the fast attacks and attack with water moves. Sceptile was too far away and too aggressive to use any close combat attacks. Things were looking bleak. Wallace groaned against my shoulder.

"No, no, no, no! We trained so hard!" He was right, there wasn't much Brendan could do, all of his moves would have little effect…_unless-_

I jumped to my feet and joined the yelling crowd around me.

"Use your ice attacks! Ice, Ice!" _Come on Brendan, get the hint! Water won't do you any good! Your only chance is to inflict some damage with ice! _My heart was raging and I clutched my fists so tightly my nails dug sharply into my palm.

I could just hear Brendan's voice through the chaos shout "Swampert, dodge to the side and use Blizzard!" And as if a miracle from Arceus himself, the Sceptile froze solid. Glacia would have been proud of the effectiveness of this move.  
"Wallace, look!"

"No, I can't bear to watch it."

"Just look damn it! He's turned around." Wallace uncovered his face and jumped to his feet when he saw the frozen Sceptile.

Brendan wasted no time in delivering solid fighting attacks to the opponent.

1 minute left on the clock and Sceptile was beginning to thaw. Wallace clutched onto my arm tightly and cheered on Brendan. Fourty-Five seconds and Sceptile was fully defrosted and charging for a Solar Beam attack. My skin broke out in goosebumps, knowing that if Swampert was hit by that beam it would all be over.

Brendan shouted something to his Swampert that I couldn't decipher over the roar of the crowd. I just prayed that it would be enough to win him the round.

Twenty seconds left and just as Sceptile was about to release his Solar Beam, Swampert attacked with a deadly Hyper Beam; the two beams even clashed together for a moment in a dazzling and frightening array of red light, but the Hyper Beam quickly demolished the Sceptile's attack and took the Pokémon to the ground. It was _astounding_.

Time was up. Everyone was on their feet screaming, even I cheered on Brendan. There wasn't a shred of doubt as to who won the challenge. My little Brendan whopped that girl's _ass_. Everything suddenly turned into a chaotic blur.

Confetti poured from the ceilings, Wallace strangled me in a hug, the crowd and music over the PA created a cacophony beyond comprehension and I was being herded to the arena by my teal-haired companion.

Before I could process what was happening a familiar body pounced onto me and wrapped its limbs around my neck and waist.

"I did it Steven! I really did it!" I could feel his warm smile against my cheek as I wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you Brendan! I knew you would win this." I gazed into those lovely ruby eyes affectionately, noticing a hint of tears and placed a tender kiss on his lips- completely oblivious to the swarming press all around us. He giggled against my mouth and I swung him around in a circle the way he loved, adoring the way he ruptured with laughter.

I placed him down safely on the ground and leaned in against his ear.

"Now go get your fancy trophy." I whispered with a shove towards the judges table.

No sooner was he gone than Wallace squished through the crowd to my side, a sniveling mess.

"He-He was s-so wonderful." He hiccupped wiping the tears from his eyes. I rubbed his shoulder gently.

"Come on Wallace, pull yourself together. You don't really want people to see you like this do you?" He sniffled and scrubbed his eyes some more.

"I'm trying, but I-I'm just so emotional. It's like my little baby evolved from a Feebas into a majestic Milotic." I could feel my eye twitch at the metaphor. Of all things…

"But Brendan was never a _Feebas_." Before Wallace could even respond we were attacked by Professor Birch with a large hug.

"You two! It's all thanks to you two that my boy won!" I cringed in his grasp and squirmed away.

"It was nothing, really. In the end it was all Brendan's work anyway." Professor Birch laughed and pulled me against his tacky rainbow shirt in another hug.

"So humble! I really do love my son-in-law!" I gagged and broke free again, hoping to stay that way.

"Whoa, we're not married!" I could feel my face heat up at the mention of the word. Prof. Birch's face hardened and got serious all of a sudden. He moved to face a near-by camera recording the chaos and slammed his fist into his palm.

"That's right, son! You're not married because this damned government denies the right of marriage to hundreds of wonderful gays and lesbians out there, and I'm going to fight until my son has the right to marry his boyfriend Steven Stone!" I felt my stomach churn and hid my face beneath my hands. _Arceus, kill me now._ I jabbed Wallace with my elbow when I heard him snicker beside me.

This man needed to be forcibly restrained.

Brendan pushed through the crowd, giant trophy in hand, and grabbed his father. _Thank Arceus. _

"Dad! What are you doing?! Stay away from the cameras! We don't need you saying anything stupid and embarrassing!"

"Too late." I groaned, earning another chuckle from Wallace, who already scooted off to admire Brendan's trophy.

After a few more minutes of tolerating the chaos of the competition, I grabbed my lover by the elbow, bid our companions farewell and headed home with Brendan on my Skarmory.

...

* * *

...

"Now before we go inside, you need to promise me you won't peek. I got you a surprise." I wrapped my arms around Steven's waist and kissed his chin, giggling and pulling him closer to the door.

"Alright, but you need to walk me through so I don't fall over anything." I teased with a swing of my hips, barely suppressing my laughter. _I'm just so happy_. I felt his hand reach behind me and open the door, his other hand covering my eyes.

"Remember, no peeking." He placed a quick kiss on my lips before he spun me around and guided me into the house. I adored the feeling of his arm wrapped around my waist and strong body pressed up against my back, even if I couldn't see. He slowly sauntered with me into the house, to some unknown destination, placing tender kisses at my neck. Even if this were my surprise I would have been thrilled. Spending intimate time with him was the best gift he could have given me.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" I could feel his teasing smile against my neck.

"No, not yet." I reached behind me and pulled his hips closer to my body, grabbing a handful of firm ass while my hands were back there.

"How about now?" His head shook against my cheek and he spun me around to face him. His lips were caressing gently at mine, his hands at my hips as he walked me backwards carefully.

I'd been working so hard recently with Wallace on my competition strategies that I'd barely gotten any time to spend with Steven like this. _I missed it so much_.

My knees hit something unfamiliar, but Steven continued to push me back. My eyes snapped open and I was falling backwards for a second, I thought I was going to die, and clung onto Steven's neck. To my shock, I hit something fluffy, and springy, and even a little bouncy with Steven braced above me. I could still feel my heart pounding from the second I thought I was going to die.

"_Surprise_." Steven grinned above me and pecked me on the lips. I glanced around us disbelievingly, moving towards the center of the bed and bounced a few times to test it out.

"You got us a _bed_?" I felt his contagious grin spread across my face and tugged him closer by his hands. He was quick to catch my lips with his own and press me against the mattress.

"I got us a bed." He mumbled against my lips. My back relaxed wonderfully against the soft mattress and my leg hooked itself around Steven's waist while I just _melted_ into Steven's warm kisses. He completely _showered_ me with kisses, kissing my cheeks, my nose, my chin and especially my lips. His hands cradled my head lovingly and he watched me with hooded steely eyes. I nestled my hands comfortably in his silver tresses and slipped my tongue into his hot mouth.

We spent forever just caressing skin, suckling lightly at lips and occasionally nipping at each other. When our tongues met they would slide against one another perfectly; his filled my mouth with outstanding warmth that made my entire body heat up. I would slip mine into his mouth and trace patterns against his, and stroked the familiar crevices of his mouth.

It wasn't until I reached down and slowly began to unbutton his shirt that we broke apart.

"You know, now that we have this new bed…I think we need to _break it in_." I emphasized myself by hooking my other leg around his waist and pulling his hips closer. A deep feral moan escaped his throat and he attacked my lips with a much stronger passion than before, grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it above my head between kisses.

"I thought you would never ask." His grin stretched against my lips as his tongue prodded my own. His hands teased at my nipples for a moment, causing me to whimper in anticipation and thrust my hips against his. I was already hard; I didn't need to be teased. I just wanted him inside me _so badly_. With his hot tongue thrusting in and out of my mouth I could already imagine his throbbing cock filling me again, thrusting deeply inside my body and making me scream with pleasure.

I whined eagerly and rubbed my groin up against his.

"Oh, just take me already. I can't wait anymore." I panted against his lips. He shook his head and grabbed a small bottle of lubricant from his pocket.

"It's been too long. I don't want to hurt you." He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. I sighed and buried my nose in his fluffy silver hair. It _had_ been too long; in fact it had been so long that I couldn't bear having to go through preparation to be joined with him again. I _needed_ to be connected to him again.

"It's fine. We don't need to." He moved down and trailed light kisses along my stomach, making me shiver with delight. He knew exactly where to apply pressure with his lips to drive me mad.

"But it could really hurt." His fingers began unbuttoning my pants and sliding them slowly along my legs. I groaned and held onto his shoulders as my pants slid free, leaving me exposed in my underwear.

"_I don't care_." I drew out, grabbing his arms and dragging him up for a gentle kiss before I flipped him over onto his back. "That doesn't _matter_." I emphasized with another quick kiss.

"But," I covered his lips quickly with my own and stared into gorgeous blue eyes defiantly. Feeling his own hardened length beneath my hips I rolled down onto his erection and licked at his lower lip teasingly.

"Now that I don't have a dumb table above my head I'm going to ride you _so hard_." I smirked against his lips when his face began to redden. He grunted beneath me and began shoving his own slacks off and wrapping me in a tight embrace.

I adored the feeling of his heart beating within warm flesh against my bare chest. His kisses were electric. His tongue excited every nerve in my mouth when he slipped it between my welcoming lips. I relished every moment with the man I'd missed so much. Between his work and my training we'd barely seen each other in weeks. But now we were together again, warm, _hard,_ and alive, ready to make love for the first time in _forever._

Grabbing the bottle of lube off the sheet, I pulled down Steven's underwear and squirted a generous amount onto his erection. He tensed and gasped.

"C-Cold." I smirked and grabbed his slick member and pumped it gently with my hand. His tension just melted away.

"Better?" He nodded and closed his eyes while his hips began to work against my hand; his breathing began to speed up. I could feel myself hardening as I coated his hot erection with the lubricant, anticipating the wonderfully full sensation that I missed so much. My own breath quickened as I watched Steven's body respond to my touches, it was exciting to watch his excitement.

His big hands grabbed my hips, slid down my underwear, and pulled me closer. I released his weeping cock, pinned his hips down and positioned myself to take him in unprepared. Our eyes met before I lowered myself down, only briefly before his fluttered close in a moan. I bit down on my lip when he reached up to suppress his grunts of pleasure.

It stung at first, but the lubricant made it easier to take it all in. When I met his hips I stopped to allow myself some time to adjust to his length. I could have cum from the feeling of his hot erection throbbing, buried inside me again. He grabbed my hips tightly and wet his lips, panting for air. It was a breathtaking sight.

"Ah, aaah Brendan…holy…." A satisfied grin tugged at my mouth and I squeezed myself around him. _Oh fuck, that made him feel even bigger. _

I couldn't repress a deep moan from escaping at the sensation. I needed _more_. I started out slow, getting used to the feeling of the bed bouncing beneath us, taking in the sensation of his thick member sliding in and out of me. With an occasional squeeze I changed the positions, practically screaming when his member brushed my prostate. His hands slid down to my thighs, I spread them wider and he groped at the sensitive flesh in a way that made my head spin.

My breathing was rapid, I was bouncing wildly against him now, and he started to thrust into me as I rode him; making his member drive deeper and _deeper_ inside me. The sounds of our wanton moans, skin slapping against skin and the new box springs whining in protest echoed inside my head. It was amazing.

"B-Brendan, Brendan, _oh Arceus Brendan! Aaah!" _Steven was groaning beneath me, his hips pounding _deliciously _into my ass.

"Oh- Oh _fuck_ Steven!" I felt myself nearing my peak, everything was getting tense and then his hand wrapped itself around my weeping member and _squeezing_. His other hand grasped my hip tightly, his blunt finger nails dug into my skin while I rode his cock as hard as I could. I was crying out uncontrollably, moaning with every thrust into my body. I was pounding down at an angle so his erection jabbed my prostate head on each time making my vision go white and blurry.

"Aggh Steven I'm gonna-aah" My voice caught in my throat is I climaxed, keening as I released myself onto Steven's abdomen. In seconds I felt his hot release spill inside of me. _That was the feeling I needed_. I leaned down to catch him in a deep kiss as he filled me with the last of his cum. We were finally connected again.

After we separated I collapsed onto his chest, smearing a mixture of sticky cum and sweat between our bellies. We met in a sloppy, languid kiss. He wrapped me in a warm embrace and I rested my forehead against his.

"I love the new bed." I whispered with a satisfied smile, basking in the afterglow of my orgasm.

"It's a shame we made such a mess out of it already." I stared into his gorgeous turquoise eyes and shook my head.

"Oh well." I pulled him into another messy kiss and rolled to my side, snuggling against him. We lay tangled together kissing lazily forever. The afterglow had vanished; the sun had begun to set while we cuddled happily in our new bed. He finally broke away and grabbed my face dramatically.

"You know, you were just so sexy and irresistible today during that battle I couldn't help but take you. I hope _the Champion_ didn't see the battle and deicide to whisk you off your feet and away from me. I don't know what I would do with myself if that happened!" I slapped his arm.

"Shut up! It was a good plan and you know it! Besides, I won you over anyway didn't I?" He smiled and kissed me gently.

"_Yes_ you did, my dear." I wiggled my fingers between his and rolled his sliver rings around and around with my thumb.

"Was I really sexy and irresistible?" He chuckled and pulled me into another kiss, his smile contagious.

"Mmm, you're _always_ sexy and irresistible." I giggled and he caressed my cheek gently with his free hand. "But a sexy little thing like you won't up and leave retired, old, ex-champion me for a new exciting man will you?" I grinned and nuzzled his neck.

"Noooo." He sighed and I couldn't suppress a small fit of giggles. "Maybe."

"Maybe?!" He gasped and ran his hand through my hair. _I love it when he does that_.

"I would never." I gazed lovingly into his beautiful blue eyes and kissed him gently. I adored the way the orange glow of the sunlight glistened off of his shiny hair and eyelashes. He was so gorgeous I couldn't believe it.

Through the window behind him I could just see Ever Grande City rising above the ocean. When the sun set you could see all of the lights of the Pokémon League glistening along the skyline. To think that's where it all started amazed me. The Pokémon League was where Steven gained his title that drew me to him; it was my goal to make it there for so many years. It was there that I discovered Steven _was _the Champion of my dreams, and it was there that I realized Steven was the only one I loved all along.  
-but I was beyond all of that now. I didn't love Steven because he was the Champion- that was foolish of me. I loved Steven because he was my _everything_. Ever Grande City was nothing more to me now than a pretty building in the distance that lit up the skyline.

Steven brushed my hair back with his hand, caressing the scar on my forehead in a way he'd done often.

"I love you, Brendan." I grinned madly and wrapped both of my arms around his neck.

"I love you too, Steven." We met in our trillionth kiss and embraced the rest of the day away, simply enjoying each other after spending so much time apart and making goofy pillow-talk.

Countless nights were spent like this, loving one another with all of our being, in our tiny home on Mossdeep Island, just beyond the twinkling Ever Grande City.

...

* * *

_I really hope you all enjoyed the story and would love to hear your feedback/comments! _

_I'm considering doing another Brendan/Steven fic and have some ideas on what I want to do.  
_

_If you want more of this fantastic couple to be created drop a review and let me know what you all think!  
_

_I love all of you readers, and it's been a wonderful journey. I look forward to reading your lovely reviews~~_

-Chayin

**UPDATE: I posted a poll on my profile for you to vote on what story you would like to read next! Please vote! :D**


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